JP2023032768A - Developing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique that can ensure sealing properties at the boundary of seal members stably at a low cost even if there is a variation in the pasting position of the seal member.SOLUTION: A developing unit comprises a sealing member that is charged into a space surrounded by a frame body 120, a regulation member 130, a first seal member 160, and a second seal member 200, and communicating a developer storage chamber of the frame body 120 and the outside. A wall surface of the frame body 120 has a first attachment surface 121a to which the first seal member 160 is attached, a second attachment surface 121b to which an end of a support part 130a of the regulation member 130 is attached, and a third attachment surface 121h to which the second seal member 200 is attached, and an area between the attachment surfaces is a concave part recessed with respect to the attachment surfaces. In the concave part, an area extending from between the first attachment surface 121a and the second attachment surface 121b to the third attachment surface 121h includes inclined surfaces 121c, 121d inclined with respect to the second attachment surface 121b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

The present disclosure relates to a developing unit provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copier or printer that employs an electrophotographic method.

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as a copier or a printer that employs an electrophotographic method includes a developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum as an image carrier into a toner image. The developing unit includes a developing container (frame body) having a storage chamber for storing toner as a developer, a developer carrier (developing roller) for carrying and transporting the toner stored in the developing container, and a developing roller. and a layer thickness regulating member (developing blade) that regulates the thickness of the toner layer. The developing unit is sealed with a plurality of sealing members or the like so that the toner contained in the developing container does not leak out of the developing unit through these constituent members.

As a sealing structure using a sealing member, various sealing members are arranged so as to cover the periphery of the toner supply opening of the developing container. An elastic under-developing-blade sealing member such as polyurethane foam is disposed in the gap between the developing container and the developing blade. At both ends in the longitudinal direction of the developing container, flexible end sealing members made of felt or the like are formed on the surface that rubs against the developing roller in the gaps between the developing container, the back surface of the developing blade, and the peripheral surface of the developing roller. etc. are arranged.

In Patent Document 1, in a seal portion between a seal member under a developing blade and an end seal member at both ends in the longitudinal direction of a developing container, convex portions are provided at both ends of the seal member under the developing blade, and the end seal member It is disclosed that the convex portion is pressed against the side surface of and crushed. With such a configuration, the adhesiveness of the seams (boundaries) between the sealing members is enhanced to prevent the toner from leaking from between the sealing members.

JP-A-11-272071

In the conventional technology described above, since the accuracy of attaching the sealing members is important in order to ensure that the sealing members are brought into pressure contact with each other, it is necessary to perform the attaching operation with high accuracy manually.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can stably secure the sealing performance at the boundaries between the seal members at low cost even when the positions of the seal members are varied.

In order to achieve the above object, the development unit of the present invention comprises:
a frame body having a storage chamber in which a developer is stored and an opening communicating with the storage chamber;
a developing roller supported by the frame so as to face the opening and rotatable about a rotation axis;
A regulating member for regulating the layer thickness of the developer carried on the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller, wherein the developing roller a support portion arranged along the direction of the rotation axis of the rotation axis and having an end portion fixed to the frame in the direction of the rotation axis; a regulating member having a sliding portion in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller;
a first seal member provided along the direction of the rotation axis so as to seal between the downstream region of the edge portion of the opening and the support portion of the regulating member;
A second seal member provided along the rotation direction in a region outside the opening in the direction of the rotation axis and in sliding contact with an end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller in the direction of the rotation axis. and,
A developer unit comprising
The frame body
a first mounting surface to which the first sealing member is mounted;
a second mounting surface provided at a position spaced apart from the first mounting surface in the direction of the rotation axis and to which the end portion of the support portion is mounted;
a third mounting surface provided at a position separated from the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface in the rotational direction on the upstream side in the rotational direction and to which the second seal member is mounted;
has
The second sealing member sandwiches an end of the sliding portion of the regulating member on the rotation axis together with the developing roller,
The first sealing member is attached to the first mounting surface so as to be separated from each of the second mounting surface, the third mounting surface, and the second sealing member, and
The second seal member is attached to the third attachment surface so as to be separated from each of the support portion of the regulating member, the first seal member, the first attachment surface, and the second attachment surface. be
A space surrounded by the frame, the regulating member, the first sealing member, and the second sealing member, the space communicating between the storage chamber and the outside of the frame through the opening. is formed and
A sealing member filled in the space is provided,
Of the wall surfaces of the frame forming the space, regions between the first mounting surface, the second mounting surface, and the third mounting surface are the first mounting surface, the second mounting surface, and the Each of the third mounting surfaces is recessed, and a region of the recess extending from a region between the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface to the third mounting surface is: It is characterized by including an inclined surface inclined with respect to the second mounting surface.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sealing performance in the boundary part between seal members can be ensured stably and at low cost, without being affected by the assembly|attachment precision of a seal member.

Sectional view of the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge of Example 1; Sectional view of the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment Sectional view of the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment Sectional view of the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment Partially enlarged view of the tray Perspective view of storage element pressing unit and cartridge pressing unit FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a side view of the process cartridge of Example 1; Sectional view of the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment Perspective view of development separation control unit FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the process cartridge of Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the process cartridge of Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is an assembly perspective view of a portion of the developing unit of Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a front view of a portion of the developing unit of Example 1; Schematic cross section of under-blade seal Schematic cross section of end seal FIG. 2 is a perspective view of part of the developing unit of Example 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the developing unit of Example 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the developing unit of Example 1; A diagram showing the injection process of the sealing member FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the developing unit of Example 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the developing unit of Example 1; Enlarged cross-sectional view of part of the developing unit of Example 2

Embodiments in the present disclosure are illustratively described in the following examples. However, the configurations disclosed in the following examples, such as the functions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of parts, show examples of modes related to the scope of the claims, and the scope of the claims does not apply to these implementations. It is not intended to be limited to the configurations disclosed in the examples. In addition, the problems to be solved by the configurations disclosed in the following examples or the actions or effects obtained from the disclosed configurations are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

(Example 1)
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to Example 1 of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus) forms an image on a recording material using an electrophotographic image forming method. Examples of image forming apparatuses include copiers, facsimile machines, printers (laser beam printers, LED printers, etc.), and multifunction machines (multi-function printers). Recording materials include sheet-like recording media such as recording paper and plastic sheets. Also, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is an image forming apparatus employing a so-called cartridge system. A cartridge is a unit that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus, and is a unit that includes a photoreceptor and process means (for example, a charging member, a developing member, a cleaning member, etc.) acting on the photoreceptor. In the following embodiments, a laser beam printer to which four process cartridges (cartridges) can be attached and detached is exemplified as an image forming apparatus. The number of process cartridges to be mounted on the image forming apparatus is not limited to this. You may set it suitably as needed.

[Schematic Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus M according to this embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the process cartridge 100. As shown in FIG. This image forming apparatus M is a four-color full-color laser printer using an electrophotographic process, and forms a color image on a recording medium S. FIG. The image forming apparatus M is of a process cartridge type, in which a process cartridge 100 is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus main body (apparatus main body) 170 to form a color image on a recording medium S. FIG.

Here, regarding the image forming apparatus M, the side on which the front door 11 is provided is the front side (front side), and the side opposite to the front side is the back side (rear side). The right side of the image forming apparatus M is called the drive side, and the left side thereof is called the non-drive side. Also, when the image forming apparatus M is viewed from the front, the upper side is the upper surface, and the lower side is the lower surface. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M viewed from the non-driving side. Drive side.

The drive side of the process cartridge 100 is the side on which a drum coupling member (photoconductor coupling member), which will be described later, is arranged with respect to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum (the axial direction of the rotational axis of the photosensitive drum). The driving side of the process cartridge 100 is the side on which a development coupling portion 132a, which will be described later, is arranged with respect to the axial direction of the developing roller (developing member) (the axial direction of the rotation axis of the developing roller). The axial direction of the photosensitive drum and the axial direction of the developing roller are parallel, and the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100 is also parallel to them.

Four process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, and 100K) are arranged substantially horizontally in an apparatus main body 170 (hereinafter referred to as apparatus main body 170). That is, there are four process cartridges: a first process cartridge 100Y, a second process cartridge 100M, a third process cartridge 100C, and a fourth process cartridge 100K.

Each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) has a similar electrophotographic process mechanism, and uses a different color developer (hereinafter referred to as toner). . A rotational drive force is transmitted from a drive output section (details of which will be described later) of the apparatus main body 170 to the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, and 100K). A bias voltage (charging bias, developing bias, etc.) is supplied from the apparatus main body 170 to each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K).

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) of this embodiment includes a photosensitive drum 104 and charging means acting on the photosensitive drum 104 as a process means. and a drum unit 108 with. Here, the drum unit 108 may have not only charging means but also cleaning means as process means. Each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) has a developing unit 109 having developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 104. FIG. Such a layout of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which a plurality of photosensitive drums 104 are arranged substantially in a line is sometimes called an in-line layout or a tandem layout.

In each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100, the drum unit 108 and developing unit 109 are connected to each other. A more specific configuration of the process cartridge 100 will be described later.

The first process cartridge 100</b>Y stores yellow (Y) toner in the developing container 120 and forms a yellow toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 . The second process cartridge 100</b>M contains magenta (M) toner in the developing container 120 and forms a magenta toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 . The third process cartridge 100</b>C accommodates cyan (C) toner in the developing container 120 and forms a cyan toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 . The fourth process cartridge 100K accommodates black (K) toner in the developing container 120 and forms a black toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 .

As shown in FIG. 1, a laser scanner unit 14 as exposure means is provided above the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K). This laser scanner unit 14 outputs a laser beam U corresponding to image information. The laser beam U passes through the exposure window 110 (see FIG. 2) of the process cartridge 100 to scan and expose the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 .

An intermediate transfer unit 12 as a transfer member is provided below the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K). The intermediate transfer unit 12 has a drive roller 12e, a turn roller 12c, a tension roller 12b, and a flexible transfer belt 12a stretched thereon. The photosensitive drum 104 of each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) has a lower peripheral area on the outer peripheral surface of the annular transfer belt 12a that faces upward. in contact with The contact portion is the primary transfer portion. A primary transfer roller 12d is provided facing the photosensitive drum 104 inside the transfer belt 12a. A secondary transfer roller 6 is brought into contact with the turn roller 12c via the transfer belt 12a. A contact portion between the transfer belt 12a and the secondary transfer roller 6 is a secondary transfer portion.

A feeding unit 4 is provided below the intermediate transfer unit 12 . The feeding unit 4 has a paper feeding tray 4a in which recording media S are stacked and accommodated, and a paper feeding roller 4b. A transport path for the recording medium S is configured to extend substantially upward from the feeding unit 4 on the rear side of the apparatus inside the apparatus main body 170 .

A fixing device 7 and a paper ejection device 8 are provided downstream of the secondary transfer portion in the transport path of the recording medium S (upper left in the apparatus main body 170 in FIG. 1). The upper surface of the device main body 170 is used as the discharge tray 13 . The recording medium S is heated and pressurized by fixing means provided in the fixing device 7 to fix the toner image, and is discharged to the discharge tray 13 .

[Image forming operation]
The operation for forming a full-color image is as follows. The photosensitive drums 104 of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) are rotationally driven at a predetermined speed (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2). The transfer belt 12a is also rotationally driven at a speed corresponding to the speed of the photosensitive drum 104 in the forward direction (direction of arrow C in FIG. 1) as the photosensitive drum 104 rotates.

Laser scanner unit 14 is also driven. In synchronization with the driving of the laser scanner unit 14, the charging roller 105 in each process cartridge 100 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 to a predetermined polarity and potential. The laser scanner unit 14 scans and exposes the surface of each photosensitive drum 104 with laser light U according to the image signal of each color. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image signal of the corresponding color is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 104 . The formed electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing roller 106 that is rotationally driven at a predetermined speed. By such an electrophotographic image forming process operation, a yellow toner image corresponding to the yellow component of the full-color image is formed on the photosensitive drum 104 of the first process cartridge 100Y. Then, the toner image is primarily transferred onto the transfer belt 12a.

Similarly, a magenta toner image corresponding to the magenta component of the full-color image is formed on the photosensitive drum 104 of the second process cartridge 100M. Then, the toner image is superimposed on the yellow toner image that has already been transferred onto the transfer belt 12a and is primarily transferred. Similarly, a cyan toner image corresponding to the cyan component of the full-color image is formed on the photosensitive drum 104 of the third process cartridge 100C. Then, the toner image is superimposed on the yellow and magenta toner images that have already been transferred onto the transfer belt 12a and is primarily transferred. Similarly, a black toner image corresponding to the black component of the full-color image is formed on the photosensitive drum 104 of the fourth process cartridge 100K. Then, the toner image is superimposed on the yellow, magenta, and cyan toner images that have already been transferred onto the transfer belt 12a, and is primarily transferred. In this manner, an unfixed full-color toner image of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is formed on the transfer belt 12a.

On the other hand, the recording medium S is separated and fed one by one at a predetermined control timing. The recording medium S is introduced to the secondary transfer portion, which is the contact portion between the secondary transfer roller 6 and the transfer belt 12a, at a predetermined control timing. As a result, the four-color superimposed toner image on the transfer belt 12a is sequentially transferred onto the surface of the recording medium S in a batch while the recording medium S is being conveyed to the secondary transfer portion. After that, the recording medium S is conveyed to the fixing device 7 to fix the toner image on the recording medium S, and then discharged to the discharge tray 13 .

[Outline of Process Cartridge Attachment/Removal Configuration]
A tray (hereinafter referred to as a tray) 171 for supporting the process cartridges will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 6. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M in which the tray 171 is positioned inside the apparatus main body 170 with the front door 11 open. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M in which the front door 11 is open, the tray 171 is positioned outside the apparatus main body 170, and the process cartridge 100 is housed inside the tray 171. FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M in which the front door 11 is open, the tray 171 is positioned outside the apparatus main body 170, and the process cartridge 100 is removed from the tray 171. FIG. FIG. 6(a) is a partial detailed view of the tray 171 seen from the driving side in the state of FIG. FIG. 6(b) is a partial detailed view of the tray 171 viewed from the non-drive side in the state of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tray 171 is movable relative to the device main body 170 in an arrow X1 direction (pushing direction) and an arrow X2 direction (pulling out direction), which are device front-rear directions. That is, the tray 171 is provided so as to be able to be pulled out and pushed into the device main body 170, and is configured to be movable in a substantially horizontal direction when the device main body 170 is placed on a horizontal plane. Here, the state in which the tray 171 is positioned outside the apparatus main body 170 (the state in FIG. 4) is called the outer position. A state in which the tray 171 is positioned inside the apparatus main body 170 with the front door 11 open and the photosensitive drum 104 and the transfer belt 12a are separated from each other (state shown in FIG. 3) is referred to as an inner position.

Further, the tray 171 has a mounting portion 171a at an outer position to which the process cartridge 100 can be detachably mounted as shown in FIG. Each process cartridge 100 mounted on the mounting portion 171a outside the tray 171 is supported on the tray 171 by the driving side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-moving side cartridge cover member 117, as shown in FIG. . Then, the process cartridge 100 is moved inside the apparatus main body 170 as the tray 171 is moved while being arranged in the mounting portion 171a. At this time, the transfer belt 12a and the photosensitive drum 104 are moved with a gap therebetween. Therefore, the tray 171 can move the process cartridge 100 inside the apparatus main body 170 without the photosensitive drum 104 contacting the transfer belt 12a (details will be described later).

As described above, the plurality of process cartridges 100 can be collectively moved to a position where image formation is possible inside the apparatus main body 170 by using the tray 171, and can be pulled out collectively to the outside of the apparatus main body 170. .

[Process Cartridge Positioning]
Positioning of the process cartridge 100 in the apparatus main body 170 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b). As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the tray 171 has a right tray portion 171R that supports the driving side (right side in the longitudinal direction) of the process cartridge 100 and a non-driving side (left side in the longitudinal direction). and a left tray portion 171L. Positioning portions 171VR and 171VL for holding the cartridge 100 are provided in the right tray portion 171R and the left tray portion 171L, respectively. The positioning portion 171VR has linear portions 171VR1 and 171VR2.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the arc portions 116VR1 and 116VR2 of the cartridge cover member 116 come into contact with the linear portions 171VR1 and 171VR2, thereby determining the center of the photosensitive drum. Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, the right tray portion 171R has a rotation determining convex portion 171KR. As shown in FIG. 6( a ), the orientation of the process cartridge 100 is determined with respect to the apparatus main body 170 by fitting the rotation determining projection 171 KR into the rotation determining recess 116 KR of the cartridge cover member 116 .

A positioning portion 171VL and a rotation determining convex portion 171KL are arranged at positions (non-driving side) facing the positioning portion 171VR with the intermediate transfer belt 12a interposed therebetween in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100 . The positioning portion 171VL has linear portions 171VL1 and 171VL2. As shown in FIG. 6B, the arc portions 117VL1 and 117VL2 of the cartridge cover member 117 contact the linear portions 171VL1 and 171VL2, thereby determining the center of the photosensitive drum. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the left tray portion 171L has a rotation determining convex portion 171KL. As shown in FIG. 6B, the orientation of the process cartridge 100 is determined with respect to the apparatus main body 170 by fitting the rotation determining projection 171KL into the rotation determining recess 117KL of the cartridge cover member 117. As shown in FIG.

With the above configuration, the position of the process cartridge 100 with respect to the tray 171 is correctly determined. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the process cartridge 100 integrated with the tray 171 is moved in the direction of arrow X1 and inserted to the position shown in FIG. Then, by closing the front door 11 in the direction of the arrow R, the process cartridge 100 is pressed by a cartridge pressing mechanism (not shown) to be described later, and fixed to the apparatus main body 170 together with the tray 171 . In addition, the transfer belt 12a is brought into contact with the photoreceptor 4 in conjunction with the operation of the cartridge pressing mechanism. In this state, an image is formed (FIG. 1).

In the present embodiment, the positioning portion 171VR and the positioning portion 171VL are made of sheet metal because they also serve to reinforce the rigidity of the tray 171 when the tray 171 is pulled out. do not have.

[Cartridge pressing mechanism]
The details of the cartridge pressing mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 13. FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing only the process cartridge 100, the tray 171, the cartridge pressing mechanisms 190 and 191, and the intermediate transfer unit 12 with the front door 11 opened as shown in FIG. 7B is a perspective view showing only the process cartridge 100, the tray 171, the cartridge pressing mechanisms 190 and 191, and the intermediate transfer unit 12 with the front door 11 closed as shown in FIG.

Here, the process cartridge 100 receives driving force during image formation and also receives reaction force in the direction of arrow Z1 from the primary transfer roller 12d (FIG. 1). Therefore, it is necessary to press the process cartridges in the Z2 direction in order to maintain a stable posture without lifting the process cartridges from the positioning portions 171VR and 171VL (see FIG. 6) during the image forming operation. In order to achieve this, in this embodiment, the apparatus body 170 is provided with cartridge pressing mechanisms (190, 191). The cartridge pressing mechanisms (190, 191) have a storage element pressing unit 190 on the non-driving side and a cartridge pressing unit 191 on the driving side. Further details are provided below.

By closing the front door 11 as shown in FIG. 3, the storage element pressing unit 190 and the cartridge pressing unit 191 shown in FIG. 7 are lowered in the direction of arrow Z2. The memory element pressing unit 190 mainly has main body side electrical contacts (not shown) that come into contact with electrical contacts of memory elements (not shown) provided in the process cartridge 100 . By interlocking the front door 11 with a link mechanism (not shown), the memory element 140 and the body-side electrical contact can be brought into contact and non-contact. That is, when the front door 11 is closed, the contacts come into contact with each other, and when the front door 11 is opened, the contacts are separated. With the above configuration, when the process cartridge 100 moves inside the main body of the image forming apparatus together with the tray 171, the electrical contacts do not rub against each other and the contacts are retracted from the insertion/removal trajectory of the process cartridge 100. , the insertion/removal of the tray 171 is not hindered. The storage element pressing unit 190 also plays a role of pressing the process cartridge 100 against the positioning portion 171VR. Similarly to the storage element pressing unit 190, the cartridge pressing unit 191 also lowers in the direction of the arrow Z2 in conjunction with the operation of closing the front door 11, and has the role of pressing the process cartridge 100 against the positioning portion 171VL. . Further, although the details will be described later, the cartridge pressing mechanisms (190, 191) also play a role of pressing down moving members 152L, 152R (moving member 152L is not shown) of the process cartridge 100, which will be described later.

[Drive transmission mechanism]
The drive transmission mechanism of the main body in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the state shown in FIG. 3 or 4, omitting illustration of the process cartridge 100 and the tray 171. FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the state shown in FIG. 1, omitting illustration of the process cartridge 100, the front door 11, and the tray 171. FIG. FIG. 9 shows the process cartridge 100 viewed from the drive side, showing a state in which the moving member 152R of the process cartridge 100 is pushed down by a cartridge pushing mechanism (not shown) and engaged with a separation control member 196R to be described later so as to overlap. It is a side view.

The process cartridge in this embodiment has a development coupling portion (rotational driving force receiving portion) 132a and a drum coupling member (photosensitive member coupling member) 143, as shown in FIG. When the front door 11 is closed (the state shown in FIG. 8B), the body-side drum drive coupling 180 and the body-side developer drive coupling 185 that transmit drive to the process cartridge 100 are moved in the direction of arrow Y1 by a link mechanism (not shown). It has a configuration that protrudes to Further, by opening the front door 11 (state shown in FIG. 8A), the drum drive coupling 180 and the development drive coupling 185 are retracted in the arrow Y2 direction. By retracting each coupling from the process cartridge insertion/removal trajectory (X1 direction, X2 direction), the above-described insertion/removal of the tray 171 is not hindered.

By closing the front door 11 and starting to drive the apparatus main body 170 , the aforementioned drum drive coupling 180 engages with the drum coupling member 143 . Further, the main body side development drive coupling 185 is engaged with the development coupling portion 132 a and the drive is transmitted to the process cartridge 100 . The drive transmission to the process cartridge 100 is not limited to two locations as described above, and a mechanism may be provided in which drive is input only to the drum coupling and the drive is transmitted from there to the developing roller.

[Intermediate transfer unit configuration]
The intermediate transfer unit 12 of the image forming apparatus main body in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, when the front door 11 is closed, the intermediate transfer unit 12 is lifted in the direction of the arrow R2 by a link mechanism (not shown) to a position during image formation (the position where the photosensitive drum 104 and the intermediate transfer belt 12a are in contact with each other). ). Further, by opening the front door 11, the intermediate transfer unit 12 descends in the direction of the arrow R1, separating the photosensitive drum 2 and the intermediate transfer belt 12a. That is, in a state in which the process cartridge 100 is set on the tray 171, the photosensitive drum 104 and the intermediate transfer belt 12a are separated from each other in accordance with the opening/closing operation of the front door 11 and come into contact with each other.

In the contact/separation operation, the intermediate transfer unit 12 moves up and down while drawing a rotation locus centering on the center point PV1 shown in FIG. Further, the intermediate transfer belt 12a is driven by receiving force from a gear (not shown) arranged coaxially with the PV1. Therefore, by setting the above-described position PV1 as the rotation center, the intermediate transfer unit 12 can be raised and lowered without moving the gear center. This eliminates the need to move the center of the gear, making it possible to maintain the position of the gear with high accuracy.

With the above configuration, when the tray 11 is inserted or removed while the process cartridge 100 is set on the tray 171, the photosensitive drum 104 and the intermediate transfer belt 12a do not slide. Prevents image deterioration.

[Development separation control unit]
A separation mechanism for the main body of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7, 10, and 11. FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M taken along the driving side of the process cartridge 100. As shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the development separation control unit as viewed obliquely from above. In this embodiment, the development separation control unit 195 controls the separation and contact operation of the development unit 109 with respect to the photosensitive drum 104 by engaging with a part of the development unit 109 . The development separation control unit 195 is positioned below the apparatus main body 170 as shown in FIG. Specifically, the development separation control unit 195 is arranged vertically below the development coupling portion 132a and the drum coupling member 143 (downward in the arrow Z2 direction). Further, the developing separation control unit 195 is arranged on both sides of the intermediate transfer belt 12 in the longitudinal direction (Y1, Y2 direction) of the photosensitive drum 104 . That is, the development separation control unit 195 has a development separation control unit 195R on the driving side and a development separation control unit 195L on the non-driving side.

The development separation control unit 195R has four separation control members (force application members) 196R corresponding to the process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K). The four spacing control members have substantially the same shape. The fixed plate 195Ra is always fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The spacing control member 196R is configured to be movable in directions W41 and W42 by a control mechanism (not shown). The W41 and W42 directions are substantially parallel to the direction in which the process cartridges 100 mounted in the apparatus main body 170 are arranged. Similarly to the development separation control unit 195R, the development separation control unit 195L has four separation control members (force application members) 196L corresponding to the process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K). The four spacing control members have substantially the same shape. The fixed plate 195La is always fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The spacing control member 196L is configured to be movable in directions W41 and W42 by a control mechanism (not shown).

Further, the development separation control unit 195 needs to engage with a part of the development unit 109 in order to control the separation and contact operation of the development unit 109 . Therefore, part of the development control unit 195 and part of the development unit 109 must overlap in the vertical direction (Z1 and Z2 directions) (see FIG. 9). Therefore, after the process cartridge 100 is inserted in the X1 direction, a portion of the developing unit 109 (moving member 152 in this embodiment) is moved to overlap in the vertical directions (Z1 and Z2 directions) as described above. should protrude in the Z2 direction. If the entire development separation control unit 195 is lifted in the same manner as the intermediate transfer unit 12 for engagement, there are problems such as an increase in the operating force of the interlocking front door 11 and complication of the drive train. In this embodiment, one of the reasons for adopting the system in which the developing separation control unit 195 is fixed to the apparatus main body 170 and a part of the developing unit 109 (moving member 152) projects downward (Z2) in the apparatus main body 170. One reason is to address this issue. In addition, since the mechanism for projecting the moving member 152 uses the mechanisms of the storage element pressing unit 190 and the cartridge pressing unit 191 as they are, the problems described above do not occur, and the increase in the cost of the main body of the apparatus can be suppressed.

Incidentally, the development separation control unit 195 as a whole is fixed to the apparatus main body 170 . On the other hand, it engages with the moving member 152 and applies an operation so that the developing unit 109 is in a separated state (separated position, retracted position) and in a contact state (contact position) with respect to the photosensitive drum 104 . Therefore, part of the development separation control unit 195 is configured to be movable.

As described above, although detailed description is omitted, the development separation control unit is configured to contact and separate the development roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 by acting on the moving member 152 of the development unit 109 . there is

[Overall Configuration of Process Cartridge]
The structure of the process cartridge will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the process cartridge 100 viewed from the driving side, which is one axial end of the photosensitive drum 104 . FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 100 viewed from the driving side.

In this embodiment, the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, and 100K) may differ in the color of the contained toner, the amount of toner filled, and control by the apparatus main body 170 . However, although these four process cartridges may have different dimensions, they have the same basic structure and functions. Therefore, one process cartridge 100 will be described below as a representative.

Each process cartridge 100 includes a photosensitive drum (photoreceptor) 104 and process means acting on the photosensitive drum 104 . Here, the process means includes a charging roller 105 as a charging means (charging member) for charging the photosensitive drum 104, and a developing means ( Developing roller 106 or the like as a developing member). The developing roller 106 carries toner on its surface. The process cartridge 100 may include, as additional process means, a cleaning means (cleaning member) for removing residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 104, such as a cleaning blade or brush that contacts the photosensitive drum 104. . Further, as a further process means, a light guide member such as a light guide or a lens for irradiating the photosensitive drum 104 with light, a light source, or the like may be provided as a neutralizing means for neutralizing the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 . The process cartridge 100 is divided into a drum unit (first unit) 108 (108Y, 108M, 108C, 108K) and a developing unit (second unit) 109 (109Y, 109M, 109C, 109K).

[Construction of drum unit]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 12 , the drum unit 108 has a photosensitive drum 104 , a charging roller 105 and a first drum frame portion 115 . The drum unit 108 also has a driving side cartridge cover member 116 and a non-moving side cartridge cover member 117 as a second drum frame portion attached and fixed to the first drum frame portion 115 . The photosensitive drum 104 is rotatably supported about a rotational axis (rotational center) M1 by a driving side cartridge cover member 116 and a non-driving side cartridge cover member 117 disposed at both ends of the process cartridge 100 in the longitudinal direction. The first drum frame portion 115, the driving side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-driving side cartridge cover member 117 as the second drum frame portion are a drum frame (first frame) that rotatably supports the photosensitive drum 104. body, or photoreceptor frame). The drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117 will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 , a coupling member 143 for transmitting driving force to the photosensitive drum 104 is provided at one end of the photosensitive drum 104 in the longitudinal direction. As described above, the coupling member 143 engages with the body side drum drive coupling 180 (see FIG. 8) as the drum drive output section of the apparatus body 170 . Then, the driving force of a driving motor (not shown) of the apparatus main body 170 is transmitted to the photosensitive drum 104 to rotate it in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 2). The photosensitive drum 104 also has a drum flange 142 on the other end side in the longitudinal direction. The charging roller 105 is supported by the drum frame 115 so as to be in contact with the photosensitive drum 104 and be rotated. The rotation axis M1 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100 and the longitudinal direction of the drum unit .

[Structure of development unit]
As shown in FIG. 2, the developing unit 109 includes a developing roller 106, a toner conveying roller (developer supply member) 107, a developing blade 130, a developing container 120, and the like. A developing container 120 constituting a frame of the developing unit is composed of a developing frame 121 and a lid member 122 . The development frame 121 and the lid member 122 are joined by ultrasonic welding or the like. The developer container 120 has a toner storage portion (toner storage chamber) 129 for storing toner to be supplied to the developing roller 106, and a developing space 123 as a space for supplying toner to the developing roller 106 in which the toner conveying roller 107 is arranged. A driving side bearing 126 and a non-driving side bearing 127 are attached and fixed to both ends of the developer container 120 in the longitudinal direction. The developing container 120 rotatably supports the developing roller 106, the toner conveying roller 107, and the agitating member 129a (see FIG. 2) via the driving side bearing 126 and the non-driving side bearing 127, and holds the developing blade 130. do. In this manner, the developing container 120, the drive-side bearing 126, and the non-drive-side bearing 127 constitute a developing frame (second frame) that supports the developing roller 106 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis (rotation center) M2. are doing.

The stirring member 129a stirs the toner in the toner storage unit 129 by rotating. A toner conveying roller (developer supplying member) 107 is in contact with the developing roller 106 to supply toner to the surface of the developing roller 106 while stripping the toner from the surface of the developing roller 106 . The developing blade 130 is formed by attaching an elastic member 130b, which is a sheet metal having a thickness of about 0.1 mm, to a support member 130a, which is a metal material having an L-shaped cross section, by welding or the like. Developing blade 130 functions as a regulating member to regulate the thickness of the toner layer (toner layer thickness) on the peripheral surface of developing roller 106 to form a toner layer with a predetermined thickness between elastic member 130 b and developing roller 106 . The developing blade 130 is attached to the developer container 120 with fixing screws 118 at two locations, one longitudinal end and the other longitudinal end. The developing roller 106 is composed of a metal core 106c and a rubber portion 106d.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, a development coupling portion 132a for transmitting driving force to the development unit 109 is provided at one end of the development unit 109 in the longitudinal direction. The development coupling portion 132a engages with a main body side development drive coupling 185 (see FIG. 8) as a development drive output portion of the apparatus main body 170, and receives the rotational driving force of a drive motor (not shown) of the apparatus main body 170. It is a member that rotates The driving force received by the development coupling portion 132a is transmitted by a drive train (not shown) provided in the development unit 109, thereby rotating the development roller 106 in the direction of arrow D in FIG. be. At one end in the longitudinal direction of the developing unit 109, a developing cover member 128 that supports and covers the developing coupling portion 132a and a drive train (not shown) is provided. Incidentally, the outer diameter of the developing roller 106 is set smaller than the outer diameter of the photosensitive drum 104 . The outer diameter of the photosensitive drum 104 of this embodiment is set within the range of Φ18 to Φ22, and the outer diameter of the developing roller 106 is set within the range of Φ8 to Φ14. Efficient arrangement is possible by setting this outer diameter. However, the outer diameters of the photosensitive drum 104 and the developing roller 106 are not limited to the ranges described above. The rotation axis M2 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100 and the longitudinal direction of the developing unit 109. FIG.

[Assembling the drum unit and developing unit]
Assembly of the drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109 will be described with reference to FIG. The drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109 are connected by a drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and a non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117 provided at both longitudinal ends of the process cartridge 100 . The drive-side cartridge cover member 116 is provided at one longitudinal end of the process cartridge 100 . The driving-side cartridge cover member 116 is provided with a developing unit support hole 116a for supporting the developing unit 109 in a swingable (movable) manner. The non-driving side cartridge cover member 117 is provided on the other longitudinal end side of the process cartridge 100 . The non-driving side cartridge cover member 117 is provided with a developing unit support hole 117a for swingably supporting the developing unit 109. As shown in FIG. Further, the driving side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-driving side cartridge cover member 117 are provided with drum support holes 116b and 117b for rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum 104. As shown in FIG.

At one end in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100, the outer diameter portion of the cylindrical portion 128b of the developing cover member 128 is fitted into the developing unit supporting hole 116a of the driving side cartridge cover member 116. As shown in FIG. At the other longitudinal end of the process cartridge 100, the outer diameter portion of the cylindrical portion (not shown) of the non-driving side bearing 127 is fitted into the developing unit support hole 117a of the non-driving side cartridge cover member 117. As shown in FIG. Further, both longitudinal ends of the photosensitive drum 104 are fitted into the drum support holes 116b of the driving side cartridge cover member 116 and the drum support holes 117b of the non-moving side cartridge cover member 117, respectively. The drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117 are fixed to the drum unit 108 with screws 301 . As for the fixing method, an adhesive or the like may be used instead of screws. As a result, the developing unit 109 is supported by the driving side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-moving side cartridge cover member 117 so as to be movable with respect to the drum unit 108 (photosensitive drum 104). In such a configuration, the developing roller 106 can be positioned at a position where it acts on the photosensitive drum 104 during image formation.

FIG. 13 shows a state in which the drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109 are assembled and integrated as the process cartridge 100 by the above steps. The axis connecting the center of the developing unit support hole 116a of the driving side cartridge cover member 116 and the center of the developing unit support hole 117a of the non-moving cartridge cover member 117 is defined as the swing axis (rotational axis, rotation center). K (see FIGS. 12 and 13). Here, the cylindrical portion 128b of the developer cover member 128 on one longitudinal end side of the process cartridge 100 is coaxial with the developer coupling portion 132a. That is, the rotation axis of the development coupling portion 132a is coaxial with the swing axis K. As shown in FIG. Further, the developing unit 109 is rotatably supported around the swing axis K. As shown in FIG. When the drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109 are assembled and integrated as the process cartridge 100, the rotation axis M1, the rotation axis M2, and the swing axis K are substantially parallel to each other. Further, in this state, the rotation axis M1, the rotation axis M2, and the swing axis K are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100, respectively.

[Construction of Toner Seal of Development Unit]
The toner seal configuration of the developing unit 109 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 17. FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the developing blade 130 and the under-blade seal 160 as viewed from the drive side when assembling the developing blade 130 and the under-blade seal 160 to the developer container 120. FIG. It is a diagram. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing the cross-sectional configuration of the under-blade seal 160 when the under-blade seal 160 is viewed from the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100. FIG. FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing the cross-sectional configuration of the end seal 200 when the end seal 200 is viewed substantially from the X3 direction in FIG.

The developing container 120 (developing frame 121) has a substantially rectangular opening that communicates the developing space 123 with the outside, and the developing roller 106 is arranged in the opening. Along the substantially rectangular edge of the opening, as shown in FIG. 15, the developing blade 130 (the under-blade seal 160), the end seal 200, and the sheet member 210 surround the opening in an annular fashion. provided in a series arrangement. These members define a region of the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 106 that is exposed (facing) to the developing space 123 of the developer container 120 and a region that is exposed to the outside of the developer container 120 . be done. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the opening area surrounded by the developing blade 130, the end seal 200, and the sheet member 210 is the area exposed to the developing space 123 on the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller . The developing blade 130 (elastic member 130b), the end seal 200, and the sheet member 210 are in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 106 so as to surround this area.

As shown in FIG. 15, the developing blade 130 and the sheet member 210 are located on two sides parallel to the longitudinal direction of the developer container 120 among the four sides forming the rectangular edge of the opening of the developer container 120 . placed respectively. Of the two longitudinal sides, the developing blade 130 is arranged on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the developing roller 106, and the sheet member 210 is arranged on the upstream side. The developing blade 130 has a supporting member 130a as a supporting portion and an elastic member 130b as a sliding portion. The supporting member 130a is arranged to extend in the longitudinal direction of the developing container 120, and both ends thereof are fixed to the developing frame 121 by screws 118. As shown in FIG. An under-blade seal 160 is interposed between a region between both ends of the support member 130a fixed by the screws 118 and the developing device frame 121, and a gap between the support member 130a and the developing container 121 is provided. is sealed. That is, the under-blade seal 160 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the developer container 120 along the longitudinal direction of the opening of the developer container 120 as a longitudinal seal member (first seal member). The elastic member 130b is arranged such that its downstream end in the rotational direction of the developing roller 106 is fixed to the support member 130a and its upstream end is in sliding contact with the circumferential surface of the developing roller 106 along the longitudinal direction. be done.

Of the four sides forming the rectangular edge of the opening of the developing container 120, the remaining two short sides parallel to the direction of rotation of the developing roller 106 are provided with end seals 200 symmetrical in the longitudinal direction. are arranged in a similar arrangement. The end seals 200 are attached to end seal attachment surfaces 121h (third attachment surfaces) provided on the two short sides (see FIG. 20). A pair of end seals 200 are provided extending along the direction of rotation of the developing roller 106 so as to connect the longitudinal ends of the developing blade 130 and the sheet member 210 . The end seal 200 as an end seal member (second seal member) is in sliding contact with both ends of the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 106 in the longitudinal direction of the developing container 120 (the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 106). .

As shown in FIG. 16, the under-blade seal 160 includes a double-sided tape 160a and an elastic foam member 160b. Attached. After that, the gap between the support member 130a and the developing frame 121 is filled when the later-described developing blade 130 is attached to the developing frame 121 .

The developing blade 130 is composed of a supporting member 130a and an elastic member 130b. The elastic member 130b is made of a stainless steel plate or a thin plate of phosphor bronze having a thickness of about 0.1 mm. Also, the support member 130a is made of a steel plate with a thickness of 1 to 2 mm. The support member 130a and the elastic member 130b are positioned by a positioning mechanism (not shown) and joined by laser spot welding or the like. The supporting member 130a is provided with a first notch portion 131 for positioning the developing frame 121, and by fitting with the supporting member positioning portion 1210 of the developing frame 121, the process cartridge 100 can be positioned. determines the position in the longitudinal direction. In addition, second notch portions 132 are provided at both longitudinal end portions of the support member 130a to be used as injection ports when injecting hot-melt resin HM, which will be described later. Further, the blade mounting surface 121b (121bR, 121bL) as the second mounting surface of the developing device frame 121 is fixed by the screw 118 while the support member 130a is abutted against the blade mounting surface 121b (121bR, 121bL). The elastic member 130b has a free end on the side opposite to the side joined to the support member 130a in the lateral direction. It regulates the amount of toner held by the developing roller 106 .

As shown in FIG. 14, in this embodiment, an end seal 200 and a sheet member 210 are arranged on the developing frame 121 .

As shown in FIG. 17, the end seal 200 includes a fiber layer 200d made of resin fiber such as ethylene fluoride, and an elastic foam layer 200b, which are adhered by an adhesive layer 200c. Furthermore, under the elastic foam layer 200b, an adhesive layer 200a such as a double-sided tape for sticking to the developing frame 121 is arranged. The end seals 200 are arranged at both ends of the developing roller 106 in the longitudinal direction, and the fiber layer 200 d is curved so as to contact the peripheral surface of the developing roller 106 . The end seal 200 has an end face 201, a first notch 202, and a second notch 203 at the end on the side where the blade attachment surface 121b is arranged. The end surface 201 is a surface forming a space Q into which a hot-melt resin HM, which will be described later, is injected. The first cutout portion 202 and the second cutout portion 203 are provided so as not to extremely narrow the regions of the communication portions S1 and S2, respectively, which will be described later.

The sheet member 210 is a flexible resin sheet made of resin such as PPS and having a thickness of about 0.1 mm, and is attached to the development frame 121 with a double-sided tape (not shown) or the like. The sheet member 210 is arranged downstream of the developing blade 130 in the rotation direction of the developing roller 106 and over the entire longitudinal direction of the developing frame 121 . The side of the sheet member 210 facing the developing roller 106 in the lateral direction is a free end, and a part of this free end is configured to abut on the peripheral surface of the developing roller 106 over the entire longitudinal direction. Further, the longitudinal direction of the sheet member 210 is configured to contact and overlap the fiber layer 200d of the end seal 200 described above. The end seal 200 and the sheet member 210 are configured so as to secure their close contact by injecting a filling material such as hot-melt resin into the contact portion (not shown).

Next, with reference to FIGS. 18 to 23, the seal configuration between the developing blade 130, the under-blade seal 160, and the end seal 200 will be described in detail. Regarding the seal structure in this embodiment, since there is no structural difference between the driving side and the non-driving side except that they are symmetrical, the following description will be made using the driving side, but the same applies to the non-driving side. 18 is a perspective view (a) viewed from the non-drive side and a perspective view (a) viewed from the drive side, with the development blade 130 and screws 118 omitted for explanation, from the state in which the development blade 130 is assembled (the state of FIG. 15). It is a perspective view (b). 19 is a view of the state of FIG. 18 viewed from the normal direction of the blade mounting surface 121bR of the developing frame 121. FIG. FIG. 20 is an HD-HD cross section in FIGS. 15 and 19, and is a schematic cross-sectional view additionally showing a nozzle portion 300 of an injection device for injecting a filler such as a hot-melt resin. FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the process of injecting the hot-melt resin HM in order from (a) to (d) in the same cross section as FIG. FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the same cross section as that of FIG. 20 after hot-melt resin HM is injected. FIG. 23 is a view (developing blade 130 and screw 118 are omitted) seen from the same direction as FIG. 19 (normal line direction of blade mounting surface 121bR of developing frame 121) after injection of hot-melt resin HM. . The hot-melt resin HM in this embodiment is composed of a mixture of thermoplastic rubber, tackifying resin, etc., and has the characteristic of being liquefied by heating and hardened into an elastic solid by cooling. As shown in FIG. 23 , the hot-melt resin HM is cured to form a sealing member FHM that fills a space Q, which will be described later, thereby suppressing leakage of toner from the developing space 123 to the outside of the developing container 120 .

As shown in FIG. 19 , in this embodiment, a space Q is provided between the under-blade seal 160 , the end seal 200 and the developing frame 121 , and has a communication portion S 1 communicating with the developing space 123 . This means that it is not necessary to assemble the under-blade seal 160 and the end seal 200 while ensuring contact pressure (see Patent Document 1), and the assembling cost can be reduced. However, since the under-blade seal 160 and the end seal 200 are not in close contact with each other, the toner existing in the developing space 123 leaks out of the developer container 120 through the communicating portion S1 in this state. Further, a gap is also provided between the third wall portion 121g connected substantially perpendicularly to the blade mounting surface 121b and the end seal 200, and has a communicating portion S2 communicating with the outside of the developing container 120. FIG. As a method of preventing toner from leaking out, it is preferable to fill the communicating portion S1, but filling both the space Q and the communicating portion S2 can also achieve toner sealing. As a structure for sealing toner leakage from the communicating portions S1 and S2, hot-melt resin HM is injected in this embodiment, and this will be described in detail below.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the developing frame 121 has a space Q as an injection region for the hot-melt resin HM. The space Q includes a first wall portion 121e, a second wall portion 121f, a third wall portion 121g, a first inclined surface 121c, a second inclined surface 121d, a first end surface 160c of the under-blade seal 160, and an end surface of the end seal 200. This is the space surrounded by 201 .

The space Q is formed by arranging mounting portions (mounting surfaces) of the developing blade 106, the under-blade seal 160, and the end seal 200 in the developing frame 121 as follows. That is, the under-blade seal attachment surface 121a and the blade attachment surface 121b are separated (separated) in the direction of the rotational axis of the developing roller 106 . In addition, in the rotation direction of the developing roller 106, the end seal attachment surface 121h is provided at a position separated from the under-blade seal attachment surface 121a and the blade attachment surface 121b on the upstream side in the rotation direction. The area between the under-blade seal mounting surface 121a, the blade mounting surface 121b, and the end seal mounting surface 121h in the developing device frame 121 includes the under-blade seal mounting surface 121a, the blade mounting surface 121b, and the end seal mounting surface 121h. A recessed portion 121q is recessed with respect to each of them. The end seal 200 sandwiches the longitudinal end of the elastic member 130 b between itself and the developing roller 106 at the end of the end seal 200 on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the developing roller 106 . The under-blade seal 160 is provided between the support member 130a and the under-blade seal mounting surface 121a so as to be separated from each of the blade mounting surface 121b, the end seal mounting surface 121h, and the end seal 200. there is The end seal 200 is attached to the end seal mounting surface 121h so as to be separated from each of the support member 130a, the under-blade seal 160, the under-blade seal mounting surface 121a, and the blade mounting surface 121b. The arrangement configuration described above takes into account manufacturing errors of each member, errors in assembling to the developing frame 121, assembling properties of each member, and the like. With the above arrangement configuration, the developing space 123 of the developing frame 121, which is a space surrounded by the developing frame 121 (concave portion 121q), the developing blade 130, the under-blade seal 160, and the end seal 200, is replaced by the developing frame. A space communicating with the outside of 121 is formed.

A concave portion 121q, which is a wall surface of the frame 121 forming the communication space, has a first wall portion 121e, a second wall portion 121f, a first inclined surface 121c, and a second inclined surface 121d. The first wall portion 121e is a surface that is substantially perpendicular to the blade attachment surface 121b and is arranged facing the non-drive side. Further, the second wall portion 121f is arranged to face the first wall portion 121e and is configured as a surface connected to the under-blade seal mounting surface 121a. Further, between the first wall portion 121e and the second wall portion 121f, a first inclined surface 121c inclined with respect to the blade mounting surface 121b and a first inclined surface 121c continuous with the blade mounting surface 121b. A second inclined surface 121d is arranged. The first and second inclined surfaces 121c and 121d are formed in a region of the concave portion 121q extending from between the under-blade seal mounting surface 121a and the blade mounting surface 121b to the end seal mounting surface 121h. The first and second inclined surfaces 121c, 121d are inclined with respect to the blade attachment surface 121b. Note that FIG. 20 shows a reference plane RS including the blade mounting surface 121b that serves as a reference for the degree of inclination of the first and second inclined planes 121c and 121d. The first and second inclined surfaces 121c and 121d are inclined with respect to the blade attachment surface 121b so as to narrow the space Q in the direction in which the developing roller 106 is arranged (substantially Z4 direction in FIG. 19). That is, the first and second inclined surfaces 121c and 121d are arranged in the above-described manner as they approach the end seal mounting surface 121h when viewed in a direction orthogonal to the normal direction of the blade mounting surface 121b as shown in FIG. It is slanted so that the distance between it and the longitudinal seal 160 in the linear direction is reduced. The first and second inclined surfaces 121c and 121d are configured to connect to the communicating portions S1 and S2 at the ends in the direction in which the developing roller 106 is arranged. That is, the first and second inclined surfaces 121c and 121d extend to a region adjacent to the developing space 123 between the under-blade seal mounting surface 121a and the end seal mounting surface 121h, and are connected to the communicating portion S1. . Further, the first and second inclined surfaces 121c and 121d extend to a region close to the outside of the developing device frame 121 between the blade mounting surface 121b and the end seal mounting surface 121h, and are connected to the communicating portion S2. there is

As shown in FIG. 23, the hot-melt resin HM is formed such that a first sealing portion HM1 that closes the first communication portion S1 and a second sealing portion HM2 that closes the second communication portion S2 are formed. is filled in the space Q, and then hardened to form the sealing member FHM.

In this embodiment, a first inclined surface 121c and a second inclined surface 121d are provided as surfaces inclined with respect to the blade attachment surface 121b. That is, the inclined surface adopts a configuration in which the angle with respect to the blade mounting surface 121b changes stepwise toward the end seal mounting surface 121h. However, depending on the arrangement configuration of the end seal 200, which will be described later, the second inclined surface 121d is not necessarily required. Therefore, for example, the first inclined surface 121c may be configured to be connected to the end seal mounting surface 121h.

The angle θ1 between the first inclined surface 121c and the blade mounting surface 121b and the angle θ2 between the second inclined surface 121d and the blade mounting surface 121b are set so as to satisfy the following formulas (1) and (2). is configured (see FIG. 20).
0<θ1<90 (1)
0<θ2<90 (2)

[Development unit assembly process (manufacturing method)]
Filling of the hot-melt resin in this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG. With the various sealing members (blade under seal 160, end seal 200) and the developing blade 130 attached to the developing device frame 121, hot melt resin HM is injected from a nozzle portion 300 of an injection device (not shown).

That is, the assembling process of the developing unit 109 of this embodiment roughly includes a first mounting process for mounting various seal members and the developing blade 130 to the developing frame 121, and an injection process for injecting the hot-melt resin HM. and a second attachment step of attaching the remaining members. In the first attachment step, the under-blade seal 160 , the end seal 200 , the sheet member 210 and the developing blade 130 are attached to the developing frame 121 . After the first mounting process, hot-melt resin HM is injected into the space Q in an injection process. After the sealing member FHM (see FIG. 23) is formed in the predetermined gap by curing the injected hot-melt resin HM, the remaining members such as the developing roller 106 are attached to the developing frame 121 . As a result, various members are integrated and the development unit 106 is completed.

In the injection process, the hot-melt resin HM injected from the nozzle portion 300 is injected and filled into the space Q through the second notches 132 provided at both longitudinal end portions of the support member 130a. The second notch 132 is provided so as to overlap at least a portion of the first and second inclined surfaces 121c and 121d when viewed in the direction in which the blade mounting surface 121b extends. That is, the second notch 132 has a shape in which at least part of the first and second inclined surfaces 121c and 121d is notched so as to be visible (exposed to the outside) through the second notch 132. is provided in The area of the support member 130a where the second notch 132 is provided is, as shown in FIG. It is configured. Further, by providing a notch-like portion in the support member 130a as an injection port for the hot-melt resin HM, it is possible to realize an injection structure for the hot-melt resin HM at a low cost. Note that the configuration of the injection port is not limited to the above-described cutout configuration.

Incidentally, in this embodiment, the X4 direction in FIG. 20 is shown as the preferred direction of gravity due to restrictions on attachment of the developing frame 121 to the injection device. However, depending on the attachment to the injection device, the viscosity of the hot-melt resin HM, and the set angles of θ1 and θ2, it is desirable to appropriately adjust in the Z4 direction or the like.

When filling the space Q (see FIG. 19), the hot-melt resin HM is heated to a predetermined temperature and liquefied, and is applied with a predetermined pressure. reach (the state of FIG. 21(a)). The position and angle of the nozzle portion 300, the injection pressure of the hot-melt resin HM, etc. are adjusted so that the impact point P is positioned on the first inclined surface 121c. The hot-melt resin HM that has reached the point of impact P flows along the first inclined surface 121c due to the thrust in the Z4 direction in the drawing due to the injection pressure, and flows to the second inclined surface 121d (see FIG. 21(b)). situation). During this process, the hot-melt resin HM also contacts the first end surface 160c, the first wall portion 121e, and the second wall portion 121f of the under-blade seal 160. As shown in FIG.

Here, the first end surface 201 of the end seal 200 is arranged to overlap the second inclined surface 121 d in the Z3 direction so as to form a wedge portion 204 . That is, the end seal 200 protrudes downstream beyond the area where the end seal 200 on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the developing roller 106 contacts the end seal mounting surface 121h. As a result, the inclined surfaces 121c and 121d are wedge portions that are gaps between the ends of the end seal 200 that become narrower as the end seal mounting surface 121h is approached in a region close to the end seal mounting surface 121h. 204 is formed.

The hot-melt resin HM that has flowed to the second inclined surface 121d fills the wedge portion 204 due to the thrust in the Z4 direction, and flows so as to come into contact with the first end surface 201 and the supporting member 130a of the developing blade 130 ( state of FIG. 21(c)). Further, when the hot-melt resin HM is injected, the direction of flow is guided by the first inclined surface 121c and the second inclined surface 121d, so it flows into the communicating portion S1 and the communicating portion S2 (Fig. state). In this process, the hot-melt resin HM also contacts the elastic member 130b of the developing blade 130, and the space Q and the communicating portions S1 and S2 are filled with the hot-melt resin HM without gaps. After the injection of the hot-melt resin HM is completed, the hot-melt resin HM is hardened by cooling and fixed in a state having elasticity and adhesiveness (states shown in FIGS. 22 and 23). As for the order in which the ejected hot-melt resin HM comes into contact, it is preferable to place the developing blade 130 made of a metal having a low specific heat last. By doing so, the hot-melt resin HM can be reliably poured into the communicating portions S1 and S2 without being cooled and hardened before reaching the desired region.

According to the present embodiment, there is no need to assemble the under-blade seal 160 and the end seal 200 with high accuracy, and the communicating portion, which is the joint portion between the seal members, can be stably sealed by filling a small amount of the sealing member. can ensure the integrity of the Therefore, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the developing unit.

(Example 2)
The arrangement configuration of the end seal 200 will be supplementarily explained using FIG. 24 . FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the configuration (Embodiment 2) in which only one inclined surface 1212c is arranged without the second inclined surface 121d, viewed from the same direction as in FIG. Here, only points of difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be described. The configuration of the second embodiment, which is not specifically described here, is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The inclined surface 1212c is a surface connected to the communicating portions S1 and S2 similarly to the first inclined surface 121c and the second inclined surface 121d described above, and is configured to be connected to the end seal mounting surface 1212h. Here, the end surface 201 of the end seal 200 is arranged so as to overlap the inclined surface 1212c in the Z3 direction so as to form the wedge portion 2042 . The injected hot-melt resin flows into the wedge portion 2042 to ensure close contact with the end seal 200 .

(others)
As described above, by inclining the landing surface with respect to the injection direction of the hot-melt resin HM, the thrust due to the injection pressure can be directed along the inclined surface. It is possible to positively flow toward the communicating portions S1, S2). As a method of inclining the surface on which the droplets land so as to flow to a desired region, for example, in the configuration shown in FIG. It can also be realized by arranging the 300 at a position rotated clockwise around the point of impact P. However, in this case, it is necessary to secure a space for disposing the nozzle portion 300 in the shape of the developer container 120, so the toner storage portion 129 must be configured to be small. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the maximum capacity of the toner storage unit 129 can be secured by avoiding the optical path of the laser beam U. Therefore, the capacity can be increased. can be realized.

Furthermore, by setting the landing point of the hot-melt resin HM to be an inclined surface that is inclined at a predetermined angle, the hot-melt resin HM can be actively flowed toward a desired area. Toner sealing becomes possible, and cost reduction can be realized.

In this embodiment, the viscosity of the hot-melt resin HM is preferably between 600 mPa·s and 1200 mPa·s, but is not limited to this. Further, although the angles θ1 and θ2 are preferably 30° to 60°, they are not limited to this. Also, the first and second inclined surfaces 121c and 121d may be inclined at an angle smaller than 90 degrees with respect to the blade mounting surface 121b, and θ1>θ2 or θ1<θ2. may

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 106...Development roller, 109...Development unit, 120...Development container, 121...Development frame, 121a...Seal attachment surface under blade, 121b...Blade attachment surface, 121c...First inclined surface, 121d...Second inclined surface, 121e First wall portion 121f Second wall portion 121g Third wall portion 121h End seal mounting surface 123 Development space 130 Development blade 130a
Supporting member 130b Elastic member 132 Second notch 160 Under-blade seal 161c First end face 200 End seal 201 End face 204 Wedge 210 Seat member 300 Injection device, HM, hot-melt resin, P, impact point, Q, space, S1, first communicating portion, S2, second communicating portion

Claims (9)

a frame body having a storage chamber in which a developer is stored and an opening communicating with the storage chamber;
a developing roller supported by the frame so as to face the opening and rotatable about a rotation axis;
A regulating member for regulating the layer thickness of the developer carried on the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller, wherein the developing roller a support portion arranged along the direction of the rotation axis of the rotation axis and having an end portion fixed to the frame in the direction of the rotation axis; a regulating member having a sliding portion in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller;
a first seal member provided along the direction of the rotation axis so as to seal between the downstream region of the edge portion of the opening and the support portion of the regulating member;
A second seal member provided along the rotation direction in a region outside the opening in the direction of the rotation axis and in sliding contact with an end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller in the direction of the rotation axis. and,
A developer unit comprising
The frame body
a first mounting surface to which the first sealing member is mounted;
a second mounting surface provided at a position spaced apart from the first mounting surface in the direction of the rotation axis and to which the end portion of the support portion is mounted;
a third mounting surface provided at a position separated from the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface in the rotational direction on the upstream side in the rotational direction and to which the second seal member is mounted;
has
The second sealing member sandwiches an end of the sliding portion of the regulating member on the rotation axis together with the developing roller,
The first sealing member is attached to the first mounting surface so as to be separated from each of the second mounting surface, the third mounting surface, and the second sealing member, and
The second seal member is attached to the third attachment surface so as to be separated from each of the support portion of the regulating member, the first seal member, the first attachment surface, and the second attachment surface. be
A space surrounded by the frame, the regulating member, the first sealing member, and the second sealing member, the space communicating between the storage chamber and the outside of the frame through the opening. is formed and
A sealing member filled in the space is provided,
Of the wall surfaces of the frame forming the space, regions between the first mounting surface, the second mounting surface, and the third mounting surface are the first mounting surface, the second mounting surface, and the Each of the third mounting surfaces is recessed, and a region of the recess extending from a region between the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface to the third mounting surface is: A developing unit comprising an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the second mounting surface. the inclined surface extends to a region adjacent to the opening between the first mounting surface and the third mounting surface in the wall surface of the frame forming the space;
The sealing member has a first sealing portion that closes a communicating portion of the space that passes between the first mounting surface and the third mounting surface and reaches the opening. Item 1. The development unit according to item 1. the inclined surface extends to a region between the second mounting surface and the third mounting surface of the wall surface of the frame forming the space and close to the outside of the frame;
The sealing member has a second sealing portion that closes a communicating portion of the space that passes between the second mounting surface and the third mounting surface and extends to the outside of the frame. 3. The development unit according to claim 1 or 2. The second sealing member has a downstream end in the rotational direction protruding downstream from the third mounting surface,
4. The gap between the inclined surface and the downstream end of the second seal member in the rotational direction narrows as the inclined surface approaches the third mounting surface. 2. The development unit according to item 1. 5. The developing unit according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the inclined surface with respect to the second mounting surface changes stepwise toward the third mounting surface. 6. The developing unit according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is inclined at an angle smaller than 90 degrees with respect to the second mounting surface. Claims 1 to 6, wherein the inclined surface has a region further from the first sealing member than the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface in the normal direction of the second mounting surface. The development unit according to any one of Claims 1 to 3. The support portion of the restricting member has a notch portion having a shape that is notched so that a part of the inclined surface is exposed when viewed in a direction in which the second mounting surface extends. Developing unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The cutout portion is provided at a position further from the first sealing member than the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface in the normal direction of the second mounting surface. Item 9. The development unit according to Item 8.

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