JP2022164429A - developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a developing device that can prevent leakage of toner even when increasing the rotation speed of a developing roller.SOLUTION: A developing device comprises: a lower seal (6) that is in contact with a peripheral surface of a developing roller; and side seals (5). The side seals (5) each include a surface layer (5A) having a plurality of fibers and a base sheet having the plurality of fibers implanted therein. On the surface layer (5A), a downstream side end in a rotation direction of the developing roller is attached to a blade body (4A) to be adjacent to one end of a rubber part (4B), and an upstream side end in the rotation direction is adjacent to one end of the lower seal (6).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to developing devices.

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic printer includes a developing device provided with a developing roller that carries toner as a developer on its surface. In such a developing device, it is known to provide a seal in order to prevent toner from leaking around the developing roller, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200003.

JP 2017-134298 A

By the way, in image forming apparatuses, increasing the rotation speed of the developing roller is being studied in order to meet the demand for speeding up the image forming process and the demand for improving the image quality of the printed matter by the image forming process.

However, in the conventional technology as described above, when the rotational speed of the developing roller is increased, there is a possibility that toner may leak out of the developing device.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a developing device capable of suppressing toner leakage even when the rotational speed of the developing roller is increased.

In order to solve the above problems, a developing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a developing roller carrying toner, a developing frame rotatably supporting the developing roller, provided in the developing frame, and A layer thickness regulating blade having a rubber portion that contacts the peripheral surface of the developing roller and a blade that supports the rubber portion, and axial ends of the developing frame and the developing roller so as to contact the peripheral surface of the developing roller. and a side seal disposed between and on the developing frame so as to extend in the axial direction on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the developing roller with respect to the layer thickness regulating blade, and around the developing roller a lower seal in contact with the surface, wherein the side seal includes a surface layer having a plurality of fibers in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller and a base sheet in which the plurality of fibers are implanted; In the surface layer of the seal, the downstream end in the rotational direction is attached to the blade so as to be adjacent to one end of the rubber portion in the axial direction, and the upstream end in the rotational direction is attached to the rubber portion in the axial direction. is adjacent to one end of the lower seal.

According to the above configuration, since the surface layer has a base sheet in which a plurality of fibers are implanted, and the long side seals that are integrally formed are used, the sealing performance of the side seals can be easily achieved. can be improved to As a result, toner leakage can be suppressed even when the rotational speed of the developing roller is increased.

A second aspect of the present disclosure is the developing device of the first aspect, and may further include a lower side seal provided between the end portion of the lower seal in the axial direction and the developing frame.

According to the above configuration, since the lower side seal can support the axial end of the lower seal on the developing frame, it is possible to prevent the axial end of the lower seal from separating from the developing roller. can.

A third aspect of the present disclosure is the developing device of the second aspect, wherein the lower side seal may be configured using an elastic body.

According to the above configuration, the lower seal can be in elastic contact with the developing roller, and even when the rotational speed of the developing roller is increased, the smooth rotation of the developing roller can be easily performed while ensuring the sealing performance of the lower seal. be able to.

A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the developing device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the side seal further includes a lower layer supporting the surface layer, the lower layer using an elastic body. may be configured.

According to the above configuration, the side seals can be in elastic contact with the ends of the developing roller in the axial direction. rotation can be easily performed.

A fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the developing device according to any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which is configured using an elastic body, and wherein the axial end surface of the rubber portion extends in the axial direction. A side edge seal may be provided on the developing frame so as to be adjacent to the rubber portion while facing the end face.

According to the above configuration, leakage of toner from the rubber portion can be suppressed by the side edge seal. Further, even when the rubber portion is worn, the side edge seal is elastically deformed by being pressed by the developing roller, thereby preventing the formation of a gap with respect to the developing roller and ensuring sealing performance.

A sixth aspect of the present disclosure is the developing device according to any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, wherein the plurality of fibers increases in the direction of rotation of the developing roller from the upstream side to the downstream side in the direction of rotation of the developing roller. It may be configured to send the toner from the outer side to the inner side in the axial direction.

According to the above configuration, in the side seal, the toner can be easily fed inward in the axial direction, so that the sealing performance of the side seal can be easily improved.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a developing device capable of suppressing toner leakage even when the rotational speed of the developing roller is increased.

1 is a front view of a developing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration of a main part of the developing device; (A) is an enlarged plan view showing the configuration of the main part of the developing device, (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing a configuration example of side seals and lower seals that are separated from each other; (A) is a front view of a layer thickness regulating blade included in the developing device, and (B) is an exploded perspective view showing a surface layer of a side seal and a side edge seal attached to the layer thickness regulating blade. and (C) is a perspective view of the side seal shown in FIG. (D) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the surface layer of the side seal, the side edge seal, and the rubber portion when the cross section is taken in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4(A). It is a perspective view which shows the lower layer of the said side seal. (A) is a diagram for explaining a specific operation example of a surface layer and a lower layer of a side seal when the developing roller included in the developing device is assembled; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of how the toner on the surface layer of the side seal operates when the side seal is pressed; 4 is a flow chart showing a method of assembling the developing device;

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. In the present embodiment, a developing device 1 including a developing roller 3 carrying toner, which is an example of a developer, on its peripheral surface 3A will be described. Further, the developing device 1 of the present embodiment is provided in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic printer including a laser printer and an LED printer.

[Overall Configuration of Developing Device 1]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a developing device 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the structure of the main part of the developing device 1. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, the developing device 1 of this embodiment includes a developing frame 2, a developing roller 3, and a layer thickness regulating blade 4. As shown in FIG. The developing device 1 includes side seals 5 , lower seals 6 , lower side seals 8 , and side edge seals 9 as sealing members for suppressing leakage of toner from the inside to the outside of the developing frame 2 .

The developing frame 2 constitutes an outer container of the developing device 1, and accommodates the main components of the developing device 1 therein. The development frame 2 rotatably supports the development roller 3 by supporting the rotation shaft 3B of the development roller 3 . Referring to FIG. 2, developing frame 2 rotatably supports supply roller 7 whose axial direction is parallel to the axial direction of developing roller 3 . The developing roller 3 and the supply roller 7 are rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 by a driving mechanism such as a motor (not shown).

The layer thickness regulating blade 4 is provided on the developing frame 2 and has, for example, a blade body 4A formed in a substantially L-shape and a rubber portion 4B that contacts the peripheral surface 3A of the developing roller 3 . The blade main body 4A is an example of a blade that supports the rubber portion 4B, and is made of metal, for example. The rubber portion 4B is made of a rubber member such as silicone rubber or urethane rubber, and regulates the thickness of the toner carried on the peripheral surface 3A of the developing roller 3 to a predetermined value. The layer thickness regulating blade 4 is fixed to the developing frame 2 by, for example, screws such as bolts and/or fixing members such as double-sided tape.

The blade body 4A may be formed by welding or screwing a flat sheet metal that supports the rubber portion 4B to a sheet metal that has been press-formed into a substantially L-shape, or a single sheet metal may be press-formed into a substantially flat shape. It may be processed into an L shape.

In the developing frame 2 , a toner container such as a toner cartridge (not shown) containing toner or a toner tank is detachably connected to the upper side of the supply roller 7 . is supplied onto the peripheral surface 3A of the developing roller 3. At this time, the toner is triboelectrically charged to a positive polarity, for example, between the supply roller 7 and the developing roller 3 . The toner supplied onto the peripheral surface 3A of the developing roller 3 is triboelectrically charged by the rubber portion 4B of the layer-thickness regulating blade 4, and is carried on the peripheral surface 3A while being restricted to a thin layer having the predetermined thickness. .

For the toner in this embodiment, for example, positively charged non-magnetic one-component toner is used. This one-component toner is obtained, for example, by adding a well-known colorant such as carbon black and a charge control agent such as a quaternary ammonium salt to a styrene-acrylic resin spherically formed by a suspension polymerization method. Further, this one-component toner uses toner base particles having an average particle diameter of 5 μm to 10 μm, and silica, for example, is added to the surface thereof as an external additive. By using fine toner base particles having an average particle size of 5 μm to 7 μm, it is possible to improve the image quality of printed matter after image forming processing by the image forming apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side seal 5 is arranged between the developing frame 2 and the end of the developing roller 3 in the axial direction so as to be in contact with the peripheral surface 3A of the developing roller 3. As shown in FIG. That is, the side seals 5 are provided so as to abut against both ends in the axial direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the peripheral surface 3A of the developing roller 3, with respect to the developing frame 2. The leakage of the toner is suppressed by enhancing the sealing performance against the toner at the end. As shown in FIG. 2, the side seal 5 includes a surface layer 5A provided on the developing roller 3 side and a lower layer 5B provided on the developing frame 2 side and supporting the surface layer 5A.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower seal 6 is provided on the developing frame 2 so as to extend in the axial direction on the upstream side of the layer thickness regulating blade 4 in the direction of rotation of the developing roller 3. It is designed to come into contact with the peripheral surface 3A of 3. The lower seal 6 is made of, for example, synthetic resin such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and is fixed to the developing frame 2 via fixing members such as double-sided tape and bolts (not shown). The lower seal 6 enhances the sealing performance against the toner at the lower portion of the developing roller 3 and suppresses leakage of the toner.

As shown in FIG. 2, a lower side seal 8 is provided between the axial end of the lower seal 6 and the developing frame 2 . That is, two lower side seals 8 are provided at the left and right ends of the developing roller 3 in the axial direction, inside the side seals 5 in the axial direction, and between the lower surface of the lower seal 6 and the surface of the developing frame 2 respectively. It is

[Main Configuration of Developing Device 1]
3 to 5, the main configuration of the developing device 1 of the present embodiment will be specifically described. FIG. 3A is an enlarged plan view showing a configuration example of the main part of the developing device 1, FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. ) is an enlarged plan view showing a configuration example of a side seal 5 and a lower seal 6 included in the developing device 1. FIG. FIG. 4A is a front view of the layer thickness regulating blade 4 included in the developing device 1, and FIG. FIG. 4C is an exploded perspective view showing the side edge seal 9, and FIG. 4C is a perspective view of the side seal 5 shown in FIG. 4(D) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5, the side edge seal 9, and the rubber portion 4B when the cross section is taken in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4(A). is. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the lower layer 5B of the side seal 5. As shown in FIG.

Since the main structure of the developing device 1 of this embodiment is substantially symmetrical in the left-right direction of FIG. 1, the left-hand side of FIG. 1 will be illustrated in the following description. In FIG. 3A, illustration of the developing roller 3 is omitted for simplification of the drawing.

As shown in FIG. 3A, in the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5, the upper end portion in the same figure, that is, the downstream end portion in the rotation direction of the developing roller 3 is positioned with the side edge seal 9 interposed to form a layer thickness regulating blade. 4 is attached to the blade body 4A. In addition, in the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5, the lower end in the drawing, that is, the upstream end in the rotational direction of the developing roller 3, is provided so as to be movable relative to the lower layer 5B assembled to the developing frame 2. ing. The developing roller 3 is rotatably supported by a bearing 2A provided on the developing frame 2 at its rotating shaft 3B, and is driven to rotate in the direction from the lower side to the upper side in FIG. 3(A).

The lower side seal 8 has, for example, a rectangular shape, as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. there is In this manner, since the lower side seal 8 can support the axial end of the lower seal 6 on the developing frame 2 , the axial end of the lower seal 6 is prevented from separating from the developing roller 3 . be able to. As a result, the sealing performance of the lower seal 6 can be maintained.

The lower side seal 8 is made of, for example, an elastic body such as sponge. As a result, the lower seal 6 can elastically contact the developing roller 3, and even when the rotational speed of the developing roller 3 is increased, the smooth rotation of the developing roller 3 can be easily performed while ensuring the sealing performance of the lower seal 6. can let

As shown in FIG. 3B, the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 includes a base sheet 5AA and a plurality of fibers 5AB implanted in the base sheet 5AA. The fibers 5AB are in contact with the peripheral surface 3A of the developing roller 3. As shown in FIG. Incidentally, in FIG. 3B, illustration of the side edge seal 9 and the like is omitted for simplification of the drawing.

The base sheet 5AA is made of, for example, a flexible material such as cloth. Also, the fiber 5AB is configured using, for example, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, polyparaphenylenebenzobisoxador (PBO) fiber, or the like. In the surface layer 5A, the fibers 5AB are planted in a state of being arranged in a predetermined direction with respect to the base sheet 5AA, as will be detailed later.

As shown in FIG. 3(A), the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 is formed so that the downstream end in the rotational direction of the developing roller 3 is adjacent to one end of the rubber portion 4B in the axial direction of the developing roller 3. It is attached to the blade body 4A with an edge seal 9 interposed therebetween. Further, in the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5, the upstream end portion in the rotational direction of the developing roller 3 is adjacent to one end portion of the lower seal 6 in the axial direction of the developing roller 3. As shown in FIG.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3C, in the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5, the end surface 5AA1 of the base sheet 5AA faces the end surface 6A of the lower seal 6 in the axial direction of the developing roller 3. The term "facing" as used herein refers to a state in which the end surface 5AA1 and the end surface 6A are arranged with a small space therebetween, as illustrated in FIG. It refers to the state in which they are in contact with each other. The facing here does not include the state in which one of the end face 5AA1 and the end face 6A overlaps with the other in the thickness direction.

Further, in the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5, some fibers of the fibers 5AB protrude from the end surface 5AA1 of the base sheet 5AA toward the end surface 6A of the lower seal 6, as illustrated in FIG. It overlaps with the part.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the blade body 4A of the thickness regulating blade 4 is attached to the developing frame 2 with the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 attached to each end in the horizontal direction of the drawing. is configured to

As shown in FIG. 4B, the side edge seal 9 is fixed to the blade body 4A via double-sided tape T1, for example. The side edge seal 9 is made of, for example, an elastic body such as sponge, and elastically supports the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 .

The surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 includes a portion 5A1 and a portion 5A2, as shown in FIG. 4(B). The portion 5A1 has a rectangular base sheet 5AA and fibers 5AB arranged along the peripheral surface 3A of the developing roller 3. As shown in FIG. The portion 5A2 is made of fibers 5AB projecting from the portion 5A1 toward the lower seal 6 side. The portion 5A1 is elongated with a dimension longer than the length dimension of the side edge seal 9. As shown in FIG. Further, the surface layer 5A is fixed to the side edge seal 9 via double-sided tape T2, for example.

As indicated by "L" in FIG. 4(C), the double-sided tape T2 is attached to the side edge seal 9 in a state where it protrudes from the blade body 4A by a predetermined dimension, for example, about 6 mm. Further, the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 is fixed to the blade body 4A in a state of protruding from the blade body 4A by a predetermined dimension, for example, about 15 mm. Then, when the layer thickness regulating blade 4 is assembled to the developing frame 2, the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 is fixed to the lower layer 5B of the side seal 5 via the protruding portion of the double-sided tape T2. . Further, the protruding portion of the surface layer 5A including the upstream end portion other than the protruding portion of the double-sided tape T2 is movably attached to the lower layer 5B.

As shown in FIG. 4D, in the layer thickness regulating blade 4, the axial end face of the side edge seal 9 is arranged adjacent to the rubber portion 4B while facing the axial end face of the rubber portion 4B. A side edge seal 9 is provided on the developing frame 2 and fixed to the blade body 4A. As a result, the side edge seal 9 can suppress leakage of toner from the rubber portion 4B. In addition, since the side edge seal 9 is made of an elastic material, even if the rubber portion 4B is worn, the side edge seal 9 is elastically deformed by being pressed by the developing roller 3, and the developing roller 3 does not move. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of gaps. Thereby, the sealing performance of the side edge seal 9 can be ensured.

Furthermore, when the layer thickness regulating blade 4 is assembled to the developing frame 2, as shown in FIG. They are arranged on the blade body 4A so as to face each other.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lower layer 5B of the side seal 5 is integrally formed using an elastic body such as sponge having a porous shape. The lower layer 5B is assembled to the developing frame 2 by being fitted into a mounting portion (not shown) such as a depression provided at a predetermined position of the developing frame 2. As shown in FIG. Further, the lower layer 5B has, on the surface on the side of the developing roller 3, a concave shape that does not penetrate and is included in the porous shape. The sealing performance of the side seal 5 is improved.

Further, since the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 is elastically supported by the lower layer 5B, the side seal 5 can elastically contact the end portion of the developing roller 3 in the axial direction. As a result, in the developing device 1 of the present embodiment, even when the rotational speed of the developing roller 3 is increased, it is possible to easily rotate the developing roller 3 smoothly while ensuring the sealing performance of the side seals 5 . .

[Operation example of side seal 5]
FIG. 6A is a diagram for explaining a specific operation example of the surface layer 5A and the lower layer 5B of the side seal 5 when the developing roller 3 included in the developing device 1 is assembled. B) is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the operation of the toner TN on the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 when the developing roller 3 rotates.

As shown in FIG. 6A, when the developing roller 3 is assembled to the developing frame 2 while being moved in the direction of the arrow P, the peripheral surface 3A of the developing roller 3 becomes the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5. is applied with a pressing force in the P direction. At this time, the upstream end of the surface layer 5A is not fixed to the lower layer 5B and is movable relative to the lower layer 5B. to move. As a result, in the side seals 5, the surface layer 5A and the lower layer 5B are prevented from being deformed such as wrinkles, so that deterioration of the sealing performance of the side seals 5 due to the deformation can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 6B, in the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5, fibers 5AB are planted in the base sheet 5AA shown in FIG. . Therefore, even if the toner TN is superimposed on the fibers 5AB, when the developing roller 3 rotates in the direction of the arrow T in the drawing, the toner TN will move from the fibers 5AB in the direction of the arrow K in the drawing as the developing roller 3 rotates. force acts. As a result, the toner TN that has leaked onto the fibers 5AB from the inner side of the developing frame 2 is returned to the inner side of the developing frame 2 as the developing roller 3 rotates.

As described above, in the developing device 1 of the present embodiment, the plurality of fibers 5AB is configured to feed the toner TN from the outer side to the inner side in the axial direction as it goes from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotational direction of the developing roller 3. ing. As a result, in the developing device 1 of the present embodiment, the side seals 5 can easily send the toner TN inward in the axial direction, so that the sealing performance of the side seals 5 can be easily improved.

[Method for assembling main parts of developing device 1]
FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a method of assembling the developing device 1. As shown in FIG. With reference to FIG. 7, an assembling method relating to the main configuration of the developing device 1 of the present embodiment will be mainly described.

As shown in FIG. 7, the supply roller 7 is assembled at a predetermined position on the developing frame 2 in step S1. Next, in step S2, the lower side seals 8 are attached to the developing frame 2 corresponding to the positions of the left and right ends of the developing roller 3 in the axial direction. That is, in this step S2, a lower side seal attaching step is performed to attach the lower side seal 8 so as to be disposed between the end of the lower seal 6 in the axial direction and the developing frame 2 before the attaching step described later. executed.

Subsequently, in step S3, the lower layer 5B of the side seal 5 is attached to the mounting portion of the developing frame 2. As shown in FIG. Next, in step S<b>4 , the lower seal 6 is attached to the developing frame 2 so as to cover the left and right lower side seals 8 . That is, in step S4, a lower seal affixing step of affixing the lower seal 6 onto the lower side seal 8 is executed prior to the affixing step described later.

Subsequently, in step S5, the layer thickness regulating blade 4 is assembled. Specifically, the double-sided tape T1, the side edge seal 9, the double-sided tape T2, and the side tape T1 shown in FIG. A surface layer 5A of the seal 5 is attached. That is, in step S5, in the layer thickness regulating blade 4, the surface layer 5A is formed with respect to the blade main body 4A so that the downstream end portion of the surface layer 5A in the rotation direction is adjacent to one end portion of the rubber portion 4B in the axial direction. is executed.

In the pasting step, as shown in FIG. 3A, the surface layer 5A has a side edge seal 9 adjacent to the rubber portion 4B with its axial end face facing the axial end face of the rubber portion 4B. Then, the downstream end is attached to the blade body 4A.

Subsequently, in step S6, the layer thickness regulating blade 4 is assembled. Specifically, the layer thickness regulating blade 4 assembled in step S5 is fixed to the developing frame 2 by the fixing member. In this step S6, the first assembly process and the second assembly process are sequentially performed. In the first assembling step, the layer thickness regulating blade 4 is assembled to the developing frame 2 . In the second assembling step, the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 is assembled to the developing frame 2 so that the upstream end in the rotational direction of the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5 is adjacent to one end of the lower seal 6 in the axial direction.

In the second assembly step, as shown in FIG. 3C, the surface layer 5A is assembled to the developing frame 2 so that the end face 5AA1 of the base sheet 5AA faces the end face 6A of the lower seal 6 in the axial direction. be done.

Furthermore, in the second assembling step, as shown in FIG. The surface layer 5A is attached to the developing frame 2 so as to overlap the edge.

Moreover, in the second assembling step, the upstream end of the surface layer 5A is movably assembled to the developing frame 2, as shown in FIG. 6(A).

As described above, in the method of assembling the developing device 1 of the present embodiment, the attaching process is performed before the first assembling process, and the second assembling process is performed after the first assembling process. Thus, in the method of assembling the developing device 1 of the present embodiment, the developing frame 2 is provided with the surface layer 5A having the base sheet 5AA in which the plurality of fibers 5AB are planted, and the integrally constructed length 5A is provided. Even when assembling the side seal 5 with a length, the side seal 5 can be assembled easily and accurately. As a result, in this embodiment, even when the rotational speed of the developing roller 3 is increased, it is possible to easily assemble the developing device 1 capable of suppressing toner leakage.

Subsequently, in step S7, the developing roller 3 is attached to the developing frame 2, and the assembly of the main components of the developing device 1 of the present embodiment is completed.

As described above, in the developing device 1 of the present embodiment, the end surface 5AA1 of the base sheet 5AA and the end surface 6A of the lower seal 6 are opposed to each other in the axial direction of the developing roller 3 . Therefore, the base sheet 5AA and the lower seal 6 can be provided without causing a step due to one of the base sheet 5AA and the lower seal 6 overlapping the other. As a result, a gap caused by the step does not occur, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the toner from leaking through the gap. Further, since some fibers of the plurality of fibers 5AB are overlapped with the end of the lower seal 6, even if there is a space between the end surface 5AA1 of the base sheet 5AA and the end surface 6A of the lower seal 6, the space Accumulation of toner inside and leakage of toner from the space can be greatly suppressed. As a result, in the developing device 1 of the present embodiment, toner leakage can be suppressed even when the rotational speed of the developing roller 3 is increased. Further, in order to improve the image quality of the printed matter and increase the speed of the developing roller 3, even when a toner with high fluidity, that is, a toner having fine toner base particles with a small average particle size is used, the development of the present embodiment can be used. In the device 1, leakage of the toner can be suppressed.

If the lower seal 6 is placed on the side seal 5, the end portion of the side seal 5 is pushed away from the surface of the developing roller 3 by the thickness of the lower seal 6 when the developing roller 3 is assembled, and toner leaks. easier. On the other hand, if the side seal 5 is superimposed on the lower seal 6, the end of the lower seal 6 is pushed away from the surface of the developing roller 3 by the thickness of the side seal 5 when the developing roller 3 is assembled, and toner leaks. easier. By not overlapping the side seals 5 and the lower seals 6 as in the case of the present embodiment, the above problem does not occur.

Also, if the side seal 5 and the lower seal 6 are assembled so that they do not overlap, a small space may be formed between them, but the space is blocked by the fibers 5AB of the surface layer 5A of the side seal 5, so toner does not flow out of the space. it doesn't leak out.

Further, the developing device 1 of the present embodiment includes the surface layer 5A having the base sheet 5AA in which a plurality of fibers 5AB are planted, and the long side seal 5 integrally constructed is used. , the sealing performance of the side seals 5 can be easily improved. As a result, in the developing device 1 of the present embodiment, toner leakage can be suppressed even when the rotational speed of the developing roller 3 is increased.

In the above description, the case where the present disclosure is applied to the developing device has been exemplified, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and for example, a developing device configured so that a user can appropriately replace it from an image forming apparatus or the like. The present disclosure can also be applied to cartridges.

[Supplementary information]
The present disclosure includes a developing roller that carries toner, a developing frame that rotatably supports the developing roller, a rubber portion that is provided on the developing frame and contacts the peripheral surface of the developing roller, and a rubber portion that supports the rubber portion. a side seal disposed between the developing frame and an axial end of the developing roller so as to be in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller; and the layer thickness regulating blade. a lower seal provided on the developing frame so as to extend in the axial direction on the upstream side of the rotating direction of the developing roller with respect to the developing roller and in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller; A surface layer having a plurality of fibers in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller and a base sheet in which the plurality of fibers are planted, wherein the side seal includes an end face of the base sheet that is aligned with the lower seal in the axial direction. and some fibers of the plurality of fibers protrude from the end face of the base sheet toward the end face side of the lower seal and overlap the end of the lower seal. It includes the invention according to

According to the above configuration, since the end face of the base sheet and the end face of the lower seal are opposed to each other in the axial direction of the developing roller, there is no step caused by one of the base sheet and the lower seal overlapping the other. These base sheets and lower seals can be provided without the need. As a result, a gap caused by the step does not occur, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the toner from leaking through the gap. Further, since some of the plurality of fibers overlap the ends of the lower seal, even if there is a space between the end face of the base sheet and the end face of the lower seal, the toner accumulates in the space. Also, leakage of toner from the space can be greatly suppressed. As a result, toner leakage can be suppressed even when the rotational speed of the developing roller is increased.

Further, the present disclosure includes a developing roller carrying toner, a developing frame rotatably supporting the developing roller, a rubber portion provided in the developing frame and in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller, and the rubber portion. and a layer thickness regulating blade having a blade that supports a peripheral surface of the developing roller; A side seal comprising a surface layer having a plurality of fibers in contact with a surface and a base sheet in which the plurality of fibers are planted; a lower seal provided on the developing frame so as to extend in the axial direction and in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller; an affixing step of affixing the surface layer such that the downstream end of the surface layer in the rotational direction is adjacent to one end of the rubber portion in the axial direction; a first assembling step of assembling, and a second set of assembling the surface layer to the developing frame such that an upstream end portion of the surface layer in the rotational direction is adjacent to one end portion of the lower seal in the axial direction. and an attaching step.

According to the above configuration, the attaching step is performed before the first assembling step, and the second assembling step is performed after the first assembling step. As a result, even when the development frame is provided with a surface layer having a base sheet in which a plurality of fibers are planted, and a long side seal integrally constructed is assembled, it can be easily and accurately performed. Side seals can be assembled well. As a result, even when the rotational speed of the developing roller is increased, it is possible to easily assemble a developing device capable of suppressing toner leakage.

In the method for assembling the developing device, in the second assembling step, the surface layer may be assembled to the developing frame so that the end surface of the base sheet faces the end surface of the lower seal in the axial direction. .

According to the above configuration, since the end surface of the base sheet and the end surface of the lower seal are opposed to each other in the axial direction of the developing roller, there is no step caused by one of the base sheet and the lower seal overlapping the other. , these base sheets and lower seals may be provided. As a result, a gap caused by the step does not occur, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the toner from leaking through the gap.

Further, in the method for assembling the developing device, in the second assembling step, some fibers of the plurality of fibers protrude from the end surface of the base sheet toward the end surface side of the lower seal and overlap the end portion of the lower seal. The surface layer may be assembled to the developer frame so as to do so.

According to the above configuration, since some of the plurality of fibers overlap the ends of the lower seal, even if there is a space between the end face of the base sheet and the end face of the lower seal, Toner accumulation and toner leakage from the space can be greatly suppressed. As a result, toner leakage can be suppressed even when the rotational speed of the developing roller is increased.

Further, in the method for assembling the developing device, before the attaching step, a lower side seal is attached so as to be disposed between the end of the lower seal in the axial direction and the developing frame. and a lower seal attaching step of attaching the lower seal to the lower side seal may be sequentially performed.

According to the above configuration, since the lower side seal can support the axial end of the lower seal on the developing frame, it is possible to reliably prevent the axial end of the lower seal from separating from the developing roller. can be done.

In the method for assembling the developing device, in the sticking step, a side edge seal adjacent to the rubber portion is interposed in a state in which the end face in the axial direction faces the end face in the axial direction of the rubber portion. The downstream end may be attached to the blade.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to suppress leakage of toner from the rubber portion by the side edge seal. Moreover, even when the rubber portion is worn, the side edge seal is elastically deformed by being pressed by the developing roller, thereby preventing the formation of a gap with respect to the developing roller and ensuring sealing performance.

Further, in the method for assembling the developing device, in the second assembling step, the upstream end portion may be movably assembled to the developing frame.

According to the above configuration, the upstream end portion of the surface layer of the side seal is movably assembled to the developing frame. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of deformation such as wrinkles on the surface layer of the side seal, thereby suppressing deterioration of the sealing performance of the side seal.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope indicated in the claims. Included within the technical scope of the disclosure.

1 developing device 2 developing frame 3 developing roller 4 layer thickness regulating blade 4A blade body 4B rubber portion 5 side seal 5A surface layer 5AA base sheet 5AA1 end surface 5AB fiber 5B lower layer 6 lower seal 8 lower side seal 9 side edge seal TN toner

Claims (6)

a developing roller carrying toner;
a developing frame that rotatably supports the developing roller;
a layer thickness regulating blade provided on the developing frame and having a rubber portion in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller and a blade supporting the rubber portion;
a side seal disposed between the developing frame and an axial end of the developing roller so as to be in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller;
a lower seal provided on the developing frame so as to extend in the axial direction on the upstream side of the layer thickness regulating blade in the direction of rotation of the developing roller and in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller;
The side seal is
A surface layer having a plurality of fibers in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller and a base sheet in which the plurality of fibers are planted,
In the surface layer of the side seal,
affixed to the blade so that the downstream end in the rotational direction is adjacent to one end of the rubber portion in the axial direction;
The developing device, wherein the upstream end portion in the rotational direction is adjacent to one end portion of the lower seal in the axial direction. 2. The developing device according to claim 1, further comprising a lower side seal provided between said axial end of said lower seal and said developing frame. 3. The developing device according to claim 2, wherein said lower side seal is constructed using an elastic body. The side seal further comprises a lower layer that supports the surface layer,
4. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein said lower layer is constructed using an elastic body. a side edge seal configured using an elastic body and provided on the developing frame so as to be adjacent to the rubber portion with the axial end face facing the axial end face of the rubber portion; 5. The development device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising: 6. The plurality of fibers according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of fibers are configured to send the toner from the outer side to the inner side in the axial direction from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotational direction of the developing roller. 1. The developing device according to item 1.

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