JP3966257B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine is detachably mounted with a developing unit used for developing a developer by attaching a developer to an electrostatic latent image.

  In an image forming apparatus, when an image is formed by attaching a developer (toner) to a latent image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, the developer decreases as the developer is used for image formation. It is necessary to replenish from time to time. For this reason, the developing device is detachable from the image forming apparatus, and the developer is removed from the image forming apparatus main body to replenish or replace the developer as necessary. However, if it is impossible to accurately know that it is time to replenish the developer, the developer is insufficient and the latent image carrier is not uniformly replenished, resulting in uneven image formation. Such problems arise. Therefore, a means for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the developing unit is provided so that an alarm is issued when the remaining amount is low. However, since the developing device is attached and detached, it is necessary to set the detection means provided on the main body side to the detection position when the developing device is attached.

As a method for solving such a problem, for example, in Patent Document 1, a toner remaining amount detection unit made of a transparent member is attached to the side surface of a developing device, and the remaining toner amount is detected between a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit provided in the apparatus main body. The point that the concave groove of the part is inserted is described. Further, in Patent Document 2, the sensor holder is swung in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing cover, and when the opening / closing cover is in the open state, the magnetic toner sensor is urged so as to release contact with the developer container. It is described that the magnetic toner sensor is abutted against the developer container by the biasing force of the biasing spring when the opening / closing cover is in the closed state.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-293445 JP 11-143206 A

  In Patent Document 1, it is good to mount the developing device from above the apparatus main body, but it is difficult to insert the developing device from the side. In addition, the developer cannot be easily inserted unless a certain gap is left, but if the gap is left, the developer will rattle after mounting and the positioning cannot be performed accurately. Further, in order to facilitate the insertion, it is necessary to enlarge the groove of the toner remaining amount detecting portion, and accordingly, the volume in the developing device is reduced, and the amount of stored toner is reduced.

  In patent document 2, since it contacts the outer surface of a container, an optical sensor cannot be used. Further, since the container surface is pressed by the biasing spring, it is necessary to increase the strength of the container itself.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can easily and reliably set a means for detecting the remaining amount of toner in a detachable developing device.

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a latent image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a main body frame that pivotally supports the latent image carrier, and a developer carrier that supplies developer to the latent image carrier. A developing device which is provided with a replenishing chamber for replenishing a developer to the body and the developer carrying member, and which is detachably mounted in the main body frame along the axial direction of the latent image carrying member. At the same time, the remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of the developer in the replenishing chamber on the bottom surface of the developing unit, and the pressing body provided on the main body frame are slid to press or release the developing unit. In conjunction with the pressing release operation of the actuating means, the remaining amount detecting means is moved to a retreat position where it is retracted downward from a region through which the developing device is attached and detached . Interlocked with pressing action Characterized in that it comprises a moving means for moving the operating position for detecting the remaining amount of the developer moves upward from the retracted position Te. The actuating means further includes a rotating shaft pivotally supported on the main body frame and a first cam member fixed to the rotating shaft, and the first cam member is rotated by rotating the rotating shaft. The moving means includes a second cam member fixed to the rotating shaft, and the rotating cam rotates to cause the second cam member to act on the remaining amount detecting means. It is made to move. Further, the remaining amount detecting means is pivotally supported by the main body frame and is rotated by the moving means. Further, the remaining amount detecting means is inserted into a remaining amount detecting portion formed in the developing device and set at the operating position.

  By having the configuration as described above, the remaining amount detecting means is moved to the retracted position and the operating position in conjunction with the operating means for sliding the pressing body. The remaining amount detecting means can be set, and can be easily set and can be surely set. Further, since the retracted position is a position retracted from the region through which the developing device is attached / detached, it can be easily attached / detached without interfering with the remaining amount detecting means when the developing device is attached / detached. Furthermore, by configuring the actuating means and the moving means with the first and second cam members fixed to the rotating shaft, it is possible to operate both of them easily and reliably by rotating the rotating shaft. Further, the remaining amount detecting means is pivotally supported on the main body frame and rotated to move, so that the remaining amount detecting means can be reliably set at the retracted position and the operating position. Further, by inserting the remaining amount detecting means into the remaining amount detecting portion formed in the developing device and setting it to the operating position, it is possible to set the developing device in a stable state.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail. The embodiments described below are preferable specific examples for carrying out the present invention, and thus various technical limitations are made. However, the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. Unless otherwise specified, the present invention is not limited to these forms.

[Entire configuration of image forming apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the entire image forming apparatus according to the present invention. A document reading unit 2 is arranged at the upper part of the image forming apparatus 1, and a paper feeding unit 3 and a recording unit 4 are arranged at the lower part from the bottom.

  In the document reading unit 2, the document placed on the document tray 11 provided on the document cover 10 is conveyed to the reading position by the document conveying device 12 and is discharged to the document discharge tray 13. At the reading position, a scanning device 16 equipped with a reading device 15 for optically reading a document is arranged so as to face the document. When reading a book or the like, the document cover 10 is rotated upward to place a read portion of the book or the like on the flat bed platen 14, and the scanning device 16 is moved as shown by an arrow to perform a reading operation. Is called. The above-described configuration is the same as that of a conventional document reading apparatus called a so-called ADF or flat bed type.

  In the paper feed unit 3, a paper feed cassette 17 is disposed, and a plurality of sheets of a predetermined size are stacked on the flapper 18. A pickup roller 19 is disposed at the right end of the paper feed cassette 17. The flapper 18 is urged upward by a spring member (not shown) so that the upper surface of the stacked paper comes into pressure contact with the pickup roller 19. When the pickup roller 19 is rotationally driven in this state, the sheets are fed one by one to the sheet conveyance path by the frictional force.

  The fed paper is first conveyed to the recording unit 4 by the feed roller 20 and the press roller 21. In the recording unit 4, a developer 22, a paper dust removing roller 23, a corona charger 24, a photosensitive drum 25, a transfer corotron wire 26, an exposure head 27 and a fixing roller 28 are used for recording on the conveyed paper. Is provided. The paper dust removing roller 23 is composed of a conductive sponge or the like, and supplements toner or paper dust attached to the surface of the photosensitive drum 25 after transfer. The corona charger 24 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 25 by the discharge from the corotron. An electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing the photosensitive drum 23 uniformly charged by the paper dust removing roller 23 and the corona charger 24 according to the image recording signal by the exposure head 25. Then, as will be described later, the toner in the developing device 22 is transferred to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 25 to visualize the electrostatic latent image. The transfer roller 26 is installed at a position facing the photosensitive drum 25 with the paper interposed therebetween, and a toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 25 is transferred to the paper when a predetermined voltage is applied. The transferred toner image is sandwiched between the fixing roller 28 and the press roller 29 and heated and pressed to be fixed on the paper. The fixed paper is sandwiched between the paper discharge roller 30 and the press roller 31 and is carried out to the paper discharge tray 32.

  In FIG. 1, a sheet conveyance path is indicated by a one-dot chain line from the sheet feeding unit 3 to the sheet discharge tray 32. A conveyance roller and a paper guide arranged along the paper conveyance path constitute a paper conveyance unit.

  A reversal conveyance unit 40 is detachably mounted on a side surface of the apparatus main body, and a paper carry-out port 41 and a paper carry-in port 42 are formed on the mounting side surface. In the transport unit 40, two pairs of transport rollers, a feed roller 43 and a press roller 44, and a feed roller 45 and a press roller 46, are arranged up and down. Then, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the reverse conveyance path branches off from the sheet conveyance path between the paper discharge roller 30 and the fixing roller 28, and the two pairs of conveyance rollers 43 and 44, 45 and 46 are separated. It is formed so as to pass through and to join the paper conveyance path between the roller pairs 20 and 21 and the pickup roller 19.

  When recording on both sides of the sheet, the sheet is conveyed to the sheet conveyance path indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and recorded on one side, and then the sheet is carried out to the sheet discharge tray 32 by the discharge roller 30. The carry-out operation is temporarily stopped in a state where the rear end portion of the paper is sandwiched between the paper discharge roller 30 and the press roller 31. Then, the paper discharge roller 30 is driven to rotate reversely, the paper is carried into the reverse conveyance path from the rear end, and is nipped by the feed roller 43 and the press roller 44 to be conveyed in the reverse conveyance path. Next, the paper is nipped by the feed roller 45 and the press roller 46 and further conveyed, and the paper is brought into contact between the roller pair 20 and 21. When the sheet is conveyed to the sheet conveyance path in this state, the other surface is recorded to face the photosensitive drum 25, and recording is performed on both sides of the sheet.

[Overall configuration of recording unit]
FIG. 2 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the recording unit 3 in FIG. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged sectional view of the developing device 22. As described above, the developing device 22, the paper dust removing roller 23, the corona charger 24, and the transfer roller 26 are disposed around the photosensitive drum 25, and between the corona charger 24 and the developer 22. Laser light is emitted from the exposure head 27 to the surface of the photosensitive drum 25 in accordance with the image recording signal.

[Overall configuration of developer]
The developing device 22 is configured by sealing the upper portion of the container body 50 with a lid 51. Three toner chambers 52, 53, and 54 are formed inside the container body 50 as toner replenishing chambers, and a supply chamber 57 having a developing roller 55 and a supply roller 56 at the side end on the photosensitive drum 25 side. Is formed. The first toner chamber 52 and the supply chamber 57 are partitioned by a partition plate 58 extending from the lower surface of the lid 51, and a supply opening 59 is formed in the partition plate 58.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the three toner chambers 52, 53, and 54 are configured to be arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction with the developing unit 22 mounted on the image forming apparatus 1. Paddles 60, 61, and 62 are provided as stirring transfer means in a substantially central portion of the chamber. In FIG. 2, assuming that the vertical direction of the paper surface is the front-rear direction of the developing device 22, the rotation shaft of each paddle is provided so that both ends in the front-rear direction are supported by the front-rear frame of the container body 50 and follow the front-rear direction. It has been. A blade 63 made of a flexible resin film is attached to the tip of the paddle 60 so as to follow the rotational direction. Similarly, a blade 64 is attached to the paddle 61, and a blade 65 is attached to the paddle 62. These blades 63 to 65 use a common member. The bottom surface of the container main body 50 is formed with sliding surface portions 66, 67, and 68 that are curved outward in a circular arc shape along the trajectory of the rotational movement of the blade attached to each paddle.

  The toner supplied to each of the toner chambers 52 to 54 is stored in the sliding surface portions 66, 67, and 68. When the paddles 60, 61, 62 rotate, the blades 63, 64, 65 rotate so as to slide on the sliding surface portions 66, 67, 68, respectively. The toner is picked up by the sliding motion of each blade, and the toner is agitated in each toner chamber to prevent deterioration due to toner aggregation. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the blades 63, 64, 65 rotate counterclockwise, whereby the toner in the third toner chamber 54 is transferred to the second toner chamber 53, and the toner in the second toner chamber 53 Is transferred to the first toner chamber 52. The toner in the first toner chamber 52 is supplied to the supply chamber 57 from the supply opening 59 of the partition plate 58. At that time, the replenished toner is agitated by the paddle 60 in the first toner chamber 52 and preliminarily charged. The supply opening 59 has a slit shape in the front-rear direction, and the amount of toner supplied from the first toner chamber 52 to the supply chamber 57 can be adjusted by adjusting the opening width and the opening position. .

  The toner replenished in the supply chamber 57 is rubbed and charged by slidingly contacting the developing roller 55 while the supply roller 56 rotates, and is carried on the surface of the developing roller 55. On the developing roller 55, a developing blade 69 that regulates the layer thickness of the supplied toner is disposed close to the surface of the developing roller 55. As the developing roller 55 and the photosensitive drum 25 are in sliding contact with each other while rotating, a toner layer regulated to a constant layer thickness by the developing blade 69 adheres to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 25. And developed.

  As will be described later, the developing device 22 is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus 1 in the front-rear direction. In FIG. 2, when the front side of the paper surface in the vertical direction is the front surface portion of the developing device 22 and the opposite side is the rear surface portion, the main body frame in the image forming device 1 is inserted when the developing device 22 is inserted into the image forming device 1. It is inserted into the mounting space formed in 70 from the rear surface and mounted. Although the mechanism and operation at the time of mounting will be described later, in brief, after the developer unit 22 is inserted, the container body 50 is pushed up from below by the pressing mechanism 71 provided on the body frame 70 of the image forming apparatus 1. Thus, the developing roller 55 is set in contact with the photosensitive drum 25. Further, the toner remaining amount detecting sensor 72 is raised in conjunction with the pressing operation of the pressing mechanism 71 and is set in the concave groove 73 made of a transparent member provided on the sliding surface portion 67.

[Developer drive mechanism]
The rotational driving of the developing roller 55, the supply roller 56, and the paddles 60, 61, 62 is performed by a drive transmission mechanism that is connected to a driving source in the image forming apparatus 1 when the developing device 22 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1. . FIG. 4 shows an external view of the rear surface portion of the developing device 22. A rotation shaft 75 of the developing roller 55, a rotation shaft 76 of the supply roller 56, a rotation shaft 77 of the paddle 60, a rotation shaft 78 of the paddle 61, and a rotation shaft 79 of the paddle 62 rotate on the rear frame 74 of the container body 50, respectively. It is supported freely. The end of each rotating shaft protrudes outward from the rear frame 74, and a drive transmission gear is attached to the protruding portion as will be described later. A cover member 80 that covers a portion near the developing roller including the rotation shafts 75, 76, and 77 is attached to the rear frame 74.

  FIG. 5 shows a state where the cover member 80 is removed from FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 shows a perspective view thereof. A gear transmission mechanism for rotationally driving each rotating shaft will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. First, the drive shaft 81 is fixed to the rear frame 74 so that the axial direction thereof is parallel to the rotation shaft 75, and the front end portion is outward so that it can be connected to the drive source in the image forming apparatus 1. Protrusively. The drive gear 82 is rotatably mounted on the drive shaft 81, and a connecting portion 83 is integrally provided so as to cover the tip end portion of the drive shaft 81. A plurality of protrusions extending in the axial direction are formed around the connecting portion 83, and are fitted into connecting holes (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 1 to be connected to a drive source in the image forming apparatus 1.

  The drive gear 82 meshes with a gear 84 fixed to the rotary shaft 75 and a gear 85 fixed to the rotary shaft 76 of the supply roller 56, and the developing roller 55 is driven by the rotational driving force transmitted to the gears 84 and 85. And the supply roller 56 rotates. The drive gear 82 meshes with an intermediate gear 86 for transmitting drive to each paddle. In the intermediate gear 86, the gear shaft is erected on the rear frame 74, a small gear portion having a small diameter (illustrated by a dotted line in FIG. 5) is formed inside, and a large gear portion having a large diameter is formed outside. It is a two-stage gear. The large gear portion of the intermediate gear 86 meshes with the drive gear 82.

  Intermediate gears 86 and 88 similar to the intermediate gear 86 are sequentially meshed with the intermediate gear 86, and the intermediate gears 87 and 88 are erected on the rear frame 74 so as to be arranged toward the respective paddles. ing. The small gear portion of the intermediate gear 86 meshes with the large gear portion of the intermediate gear 87, and the small gear portion of the intermediate gear 87 meshes with the large gear portion of the intermediate gear 88. The gear 89 fixed to the rotation shaft 77 of the paddle 60 is meshed with the small gear portion of the intermediate gear 88. Thus, the three intermediate gears mesh with each other to constitute a speed reduction mechanism, and the paddle 60 is rotationally driven at a rotational speed reduced from the rotational speed of the drive gear 82.

  An intermediate gear 91 is provided between the gear 90 fixed to the rotating shaft 78 of the paddle 61 and the gear 89, and the intermediate gear 91 is rotatably supported by a stud standing on the rear frame 74. . The intermediate gear 91 is a two-stage gear in which a small gear portion having a small diameter is formed on the inside and a large gear portion having a large diameter is formed on the outside. The large gear portion meshes with the gear 89 and the small gear portion is It meshes with the gear 90. Therefore, the rotational speed of the gear 89 is reduced and transmitted by the intermediate gear 91, and the paddle 61 is rotationally driven at a rotational speed slower than that of the paddle 60. An intermediate gear 93 is provided between the gear 92 fixed to the rotating shaft 79 of the paddle 62 and the gear 90, and this intermediate gear 93 is rotatably supported by a stud standing on the rear frame 74, It meshes with each gear. Therefore, the gear 92 rotates at the same rotational speed as the gear 90, and the paddles 61 and 62 are driven to rotate in the same rotational direction.

  As described above, the paddle 60 rotates at a rotational speed reduced from the rotational speed of the drive gear 82, and the paddles 61 and 62 rotate at a rotational speed further reduced from the rotational speed of the paddle 60. Yes. Thus, the paddle 60 can rotate to a certain degree of speed to sufficiently charge the toner, and then can supply the toner to the supply chamber 57. The paddles 61 and 62 are rotated slowly to be excessive. The agitation transfer can be performed while suppressing the deterioration of the toner due to the agitation. Further, as will be described later, when detecting the remaining amount of toner, the remaining amount can be reliably detected when the rotation of the paddle blade is slower. The rotational speed of the paddle 60 is set to a suitable value in accordance with the development process such as the toner characteristics and the rotational speed of the developing roller. The rotation speeds of the paddles 61 and 62 are set according to, for example, the degree of toner deterioration and the accuracy of toner remaining amount detection. In the above example, the rotational speeds of the paddles 61 and 62 are the same, but the rotational speed of the paddle 62 may be decreased. In that case, the intermediate gear 93 may be decelerated as a two-stage gear similar to the intermediate gear 91. Further, the rotational speed of the paddle 60 can be appropriately reduced by adjusting the number of teeth of the intermediate gears 86, 87, 88.

  The paddles 61 and 62 need to be positioned at a predetermined rotational position when the toner is filled. That is, the toner is filled from the toner filling port 94 provided in the front frame of the container main body 50 at the front portion of the developing device 22, so that the paddle blade is exposed to the outside from the toner filling port 94 when the toner is filled. If the paddle blade is located at the position, the toner cannot be charged smoothly. Therefore, it is necessary to position the rotational position of the paddle so that the paddle blade is positioned away from the toner filling port 94 when the toner is filled.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a drive transmission portion of the paddles 61 and 62 in FIG. FIG. 7A shows an external view, and FIG. 7B shows a sectional view thereof. As shown in FIG. 7B, in this example, a toner filling port 94 is provided below the rotation shaft of the paddle 61 in the front frame of the second toner chamber 53. The rotational position of the paddle 61 is positioned so that the blade 65 of the paddle 61 is positioned upward and a cleaner for detecting the remaining amount described later is horizontal. Further, the blade 64 of the paddle 62 of the third toner chamber 54 is also located above, and by positioning in this way, the paddles 61 and 62 do not get in the way when the toner is filled from the toner filling port 94. The toner flows smoothly.

  However, since the paddles 61 and 62 are sealed in the developing device 22, their rotational positions cannot be confirmed from the outside. Therefore, a triangular instruction mark 95 is displayed in advance on the surfaces of the gears 90 and 92 that rotate together with the paddles 61 and 62, and a similar instruction mark 96 is displayed in advance on the rear frame 74. Then, when the gears 90 and 92 are positioned at a predetermined rotation position as shown in FIG. 7B, the display positions are set so that the instruction marks 95 and 96 face each other. When the toner is charged, if the gears 90 and 92 are rotated until the indication mark 95 coincides with the indication mark 96, the toner is smoothly charged without obstructing the blade as described above. be able to. Also, if the display position and orientation of the instruction mark 95 are the same position and the extending direction as the blade mounting position, the blade mounting position can be easily confirmed, and the assembly work can be made more efficient. Can do. For example, the indication marks 95 and 96 may be formed in irregularities when molding a gear or the like, and other methods may be used as long as they can be confirmed with the naked eye.

[Developer roller blade configuration]
In FIG. 6, reference numeral 100 indicates a blade that contacts the surface of the developing roller 55. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the blade 100, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the blade 100 is in contact with the developing roller 55. The blade 100 is configured by sandwiching an elastic blade body 101 that contacts the surface of the developing roller 55 between a support plate 102 and a pressing plate 103. The elastic blade body 101 is formed of a strip-like thin plate extending in the axial direction of the developing roller 55, and a narrow rubber body 104 is fixed to a side portion that contacts the developing roller 55. Since the belt-like thin plate is made of a plate spring member, when it is pressed by the developing roller 55, it is bent as shown in FIG. 9, and the rubber body 104 is pressed against the surface of the developing roller. When the developing roller 55 rotates in the arrow direction shown in FIG. 9 in this state, the toner supplied to the surface of the developing roller 55 by the supply roller 56 is made uniform to a predetermined layer thickness. Further, the toner is strongly pressed against the developing roller 55 by the blade 100, so that the charge amount is increased. The support plate 102 and the pressing plate 103 are fixed by four screws 105a to 105d with a side portion opposite to the side portion to which the rubber body 104 of the elastic blade body 101 is fixed.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the elastic blade body 101, a thin plate is sandwiched between two molds 106a and 106b, and rubber is insert-molded into a gap 107 formed in the mold 106b to form a rubber body 104. However, the elastic blade body 101 manufactured in this way tends to warp as a whole. FIG. 11 schematically shows a state where the elastic blade body 101 is warped. In FIG. 11A, the elastic blade body 101 is warped so as to bend toward the surface side to which the rubber body 104 is fixed, and in FIG. It is in a state of warping.

  When the elastic blade body 101 in the state of FIG. 11A is forcibly eliminated to have a flat shape as shown in FIG. 11B, the rubber body 104 is compressed as a whole as shown by an arrow. Receive power. When a force is applied to the rubber body 104 in a compressing direction, a concavo-convex shape is generated so that the surface undulates. In this state, a toner layer having a uniform layer thickness cannot be formed on the surface of the developing roller 55.

  When the elastic blade body 101 in the state of FIG. 11 (c) is forcibly free of warpage to have a flat shape as shown in FIG. 11 (d), the rubber body 104 has a force in the direction of being stretched as a whole as indicated by an arrow. To receive. When the rubber body 104 receives a force in the direction in which it is stretched, the above-described undulation phenomenon does not occur.

  Therefore, if the elastic blade body 101 is set in advance to be curved toward the surface opposite to the surface on which the rubber body 104 is fixed as shown in FIG. Even if the warp occurs, the rubber body 104 can be brought into pressure contact with the developing roller 55 without causing a wave phenomenon. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, when the support plate 102 and the pressing plate 103 are manufactured by sheet metal processing, processing is performed in advance so as to be warped in the same manner. The warpage is such that the center portion is curved so as to be farther from the developing roller 55 than the both end portions.

  When assembling the blade 100, first, the positioning bosses 111 and 112 formed on the support plate 102 are fitted into the positioning hole 108e and the escape hole 108f formed on the elastic blade body 101, respectively. The positioning bosses 111 and 112 are formed in a circular shape, and the positioning hole 108e is formed in the same circular shape, while the escape hole 108f has a long diameter along the longitudinal direction of the elastic blade body 101. It is drilled in an elliptical shape. Therefore, even if there is a manufacturing error in the positional relationship between the positioning boss 112 and the relief hole 108f after the positioning boss 111 is fitted in the positioning hole 108e, the elastic blade body 101 is accurately attached to the support plate 102 without any problem. be able to. Next, the pressing plate 103 is attached from above the attached elastic blade body 101. At that time, the positioning bosses 111 and 112 are fitted into the positioning hole 110e and the relief hole 110f of the pressing plate 103, respectively. The escape hole 110f is formed in the same elliptical shape as the escape hole 108f, and the pressing plate 103 can be accurately attached in the same manner as the elastic blade body 101.

  After the elastic blade body 101 and the pressing plate 103 are fitted into the support plate 102, they are fixed by screws 105a to 105d. In this case, the screws are tightened and fixed in order from the position close to the positioning hole. By doing so, even if each member is warped, the elastic blade body 101 can be fixed while warping.

  In this example, the screw 105a closest to the positioning hole 108e is first inserted into the mounting hole 110a of the pressing plate 103, the mounting hole 108a of the elastic blade body 101, and the mounting hole 109a of the support plate 102, and is fastened and fixed. Next, the screw 105b is similarly inserted into the mounting holes 110b, 108b, and 109b to be fastened and fixed, the screw 105c is inserted into the mounting holes 110c, 108c, and 109c and fastened, and the screw 105d is fastened to the mounting holes 110d, 108d, and Insert into 109d and tighten.

  When the screws are sequentially tightened and fixed in this manner, the elastic blade body 101 is set in a state in which the same warp as the support plate 102 and the pressing plate 103 has entered, and as shown in FIG. When the is applied to the surface of the developing roller 55, the central portion of the developing roller 55 is curved so as to be farther from the developing roller 55 than both ends. In this state, when the elastic blade body 101 is pressed against the developing roller 55 as shown in FIG. 13B, the rubber body 104 of the elastic blade body 101 receives a force in the extending direction and does not generate a undulation phenomenon. In such a state, it comes into pressure contact with the surface of the developing roller 55.

[Electrical connection structure of developer]
Since the developing device 22 is detachable from the image forming apparatus 1, a voltage is supplied from the image forming device 1 to the developing roller 55, the supply roller 56, and the blade 100 in the developing device 22 when the developing device 22 is mounted. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, an electrode for supplying a voltage to the cover member 80 is provided on the rear surface side of the developing device 22 because it is inserted into the image forming apparatus 1 from the rear surface portion of the developing device 22.

  FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the cover member 80 attached to the rear surface portion of the developing device 22, and FIG. 15 is a view as seen from the back surface side of the cover member 80. Mounting holes 111 a and 111 b for screwing to the rear frame 74 are formed in the cover member 80, and at positions corresponding to the rotation shaft 75 of the developing roller 55, the rotation shaft 76 of the supply roller, and the drive shaft 81. Are provided with circular openings 112, 113 and 114, respectively. On the back surface side of the cover member 80, a first contact member 115 that contacts the rotation shaft 75 of the developing roller, a second contact member 116 that contacts the rotation shaft 76 of the supply roller, and a third contact that contacts the pressing plate 103 of the blade 100. A contact member 117 is attached.

  The first contact member 115 is made of a metal wire, and is bent in the center portion. One end is inserted and held in the holding portion 118 of the cover member 80. The holding part 118 is formed so as to protrude stepwise toward the back surface side of the cover member 80, and a window for inserting the first contact member 115 is opened. The other end is bent in a U-shape to form a contact portion 119, which is engaged and fixed to a narrow insertion hole 120 and a circular engagement hole 121 formed in the cover member 80. ing. When attaching the contact portion 119 to the cover member 80, the contact portion 119 is first inserted into the insertion hole 120 from the back surface side, the contact portion 119 is brought out to the front surface side, and the bent tip portion is inserted into the engagement hole 121. By attaching the contact portion 119 in this manner, the contact portion 119 is set in a state of protruding from the surface side of the cover member 80, and can reliably contact and be electrically connected to the electrode of the image forming apparatus 1. Since the diameter of the engagement hole 121 is substantially the same as the diameter of the first contact member 115, the other end is firmly fixed, and further, one end is held by the holding portion 118. Therefore, the first contact member 115 does not come off from the cover member 80. A groove part 122 extending from the holding part 118 to the insertion hole 120 along the shape of the first contact member 115 is provided on the back surface side of the cover member 80, and the first contact member 115 is fitted into the groove part 122. The groove portion 122 is configured such that the groove width increases as it goes from the central bent portion to the holding portion 118, and the width of the window opened to the holding portion 118 is set larger than the diameter of the first contact member 115. . Therefore, the first contact member 115 can swing in the groove width direction of the groove portion 122 up to the tip portion held by the holding portion 118 with the bent portion as a base point. The opening 112 corresponding to the rotation shaft 75 of the developing roller is opened from the holding portion 118 of the groove portion 122 so as to cut out a part near the bent portion. Therefore, when the rotation shaft 75 is installed in the opening 112. The first contact member 115 comes into contact with the lower side of the rotary shaft 75. Since the first contact member 115 is in contact with the rotating shaft 75 and is swung downward in the groove portion 122, an elastic force biased upward is generated and is in pressure contact with the rotating shaft 75. Therefore, the first contact member 115 and the rotating shaft 75 can maintain a stable contact state, and an electrical connection state can be ensured.

  Similarly to the first contact member 115, the second contact member 116 is made of a metal wire formed in a dogleg shape, and the other end portion is bent to form a U-shaped contact portion 123. Then, one end portion of the second contact member 116 is inserted and held in the holding portion 124 provided in the same manner as the holding portion 118, and the contact portion 124 is provided in the cover member 80 similarly to the contact portion 119. Are engaged and fixed in a circular insertion hole 125 and a circular engagement hole 126. Therefore, the second contact member 116 is securely held without coming out of the cover member 80, and the contact portion 124 is set in a state of projecting to the surface side of the cover member 80 so as to reliably contact the electrode of the image forming apparatus 1. Can be electrically connected. A groove 127 similar to the groove 122 is provided along the second contact member 116 on the back surface side of the cover member 80, and the second contact member 116 is fitted into the groove 127. The opening 113 through which the rotation shaft 76 of the supply roller is inserted is opened from the holding portion 124 of the groove 127 so as to cut out a part near the bent portion, and when the rotation shaft 76 is installed in the opening 113, The second contact member 116 comes into contact with the lower side of the rotating shaft 76 and is swung downward to generate an elastic force that biases upward, and is in pressure contact with the rotating shaft 75. Therefore, similarly to the first contact member 115, the second contact member 116 can maintain a stable contact state with the rotating shaft 76, and the electrical connection state can be ensured.

  The third contact member 117 is made of a thin metal wire, one end is formed in a coil spring shape, the other end is bent at right angles into an L shape to form a contact portion 128, and the tip is Furthermore, it is bent into a bowl shape. When the third contact member 117 is attached to the cover member 80, as shown in FIG. 15, the other end is inserted into the circular insertion hole 129 provided in the cover member 80 from the back surface side, and the contact portion 128 is inserted. Is exposed to the surface side of the cover member 80, and the bent portion at the tip is inserted into the circular engagement hole 130 and fixed. Since the diameter of the engagement hole 130 is formed substantially the same as the diameter of the third contact member 117, the other end is firmly fixed. A groove 131 is provided on the back surface of the cover member 80 along the third contact member 117. Since the groove width of the groove 131 is substantially the same as the diameter of the third contact member 117, the third contact member 117 swings in the groove 131 when the third contact member 117 is fitted into the groove 131. It is held firmly. Accordingly, the third contact member 117 is securely held without coming out of the cover member 80, and the contact portion 128 is set in a state of protruding to the front surface side of the cover member 80 so as to reliably contact the electrode of the image forming apparatus 1. Can be electrically connected. Further, the coil spring-shaped portion at one end is held in a compressed state in contact with the end of the pressing plate 103 of the blade 100 when the cover member 80 is attached to the rear frame 74. Become. Therefore, a stable contact state with the pressing plate 103 can be maintained, and the electrical connection state can be ensured.

  FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a contact state of the first contact member 115, the second contact member 116, and the third contact member 117. As is clear from this figure, the first contact member 115 is in a pressure contact state below the rotation shaft 75, and the second contact member 116 is in a pressure contact state below the rotation shaft 76, and the third contact member 117. The coil spring-shaped portion is in a pressure contact state with the pressing plate 103 and maintains a stable electrical connection state. The contact portion of each contact member is set at a desired position corresponding to the electrode position of the image forming apparatus 1. The rotating shaft 75 is electrically connected to the developing sleeve on the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 55, and the bias voltage from the image forming apparatus 1 passes through the first contact member 115 from the contact portion 119 and develops from the rotating shaft 75. It is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 55. The rotation shaft 76 is also electrically connected to the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller 76, and the bias voltage from the image forming apparatus 1 passes through the second contact member 116 from the contact portion 123 and passes from the rotation shaft 76 to the outer periphery of the supply roller 76. Applied to the surface. The pressing plate 103 is fastened and electrically connected to the elastic blade body 101 by a metal screw, and the bias voltage from the image forming apparatus 1 passes through the third contact member 117 from the contact portion 128 and is pressed. The elastic blade body 101 is applied from 103.

  FIG. 17 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 15, and the first contact member 115 and the second contact member 116 are arranged by arranging each contact member in a groove formed on the back surface of the cover member 80. Can swing by widening the groove.

  Thus, by using a wire for the electrical connection structure, space can be saved, and the position of the contact portion and the like can be set without being restricted, and the degree of freedom in design is increased.

[Developer detachment guide mechanism]
The attaching / detaching operation of the developing device 22 is performed along the front-rear direction, that is, the vertical direction of the paper surface when the front side of the developing device 22 is the front side of the developing device 22 in FIG. Therefore, the developing device 22 is inserted and removed along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 25. At this time, the developing unit 22 is separated from the photosensitive drum 25 to some extent so that the operator does not accidentally contact the developing unit 22 with the photosensitive drum 25 to damage the photosensitive drum 25. A guide mechanism for guiding is provided.

  As a guide mechanism, a plurality of protrusions are provided on the developing device 22 side, and a guide part for guiding these protrusions is provided on the image forming apparatus 1 side. The plurality of protrusions provided on the developing device 22 are shown in FIGS. 18 shows a perspective view of the developing device 22 as viewed from above, and FIG. 19 shows a perspective view of the developing device 22 as viewed from below.

  As shown in FIG. 18, guide protrusions 132a and 132b projecting upward are formed on a lid 51 fixed to the upper portion of the container body 50 of the developing device 22 by welding or screws. The guide protrusions 132a and 132b are arranged along the insertion direction of the developing device 22 on the developing roller 55 side of the lid 51, and the guide protrusion 132a is on the rear end side in the insertion direction. Are arranged on the distal end side in the insertion direction. The distance between the guide protrusion 132a and the developing roller 55 is set to be slightly larger than the distance between the guide protrusion 132b. The guide protrusions 132a and 132b have a gap formed therein, and a rib is formed along the insertion direction at the center of the gap. Also, a plurality of streak-like ribs are formed between the two along the insertion direction. The side surfaces 134a and 134b of the guide protrusions 132a and 132b facing each other are inclined so as to spread toward the developing roller 55 in accordance with the irradiation range of the laser beam irradiated by the exposure head 27 shown in FIG.

  A flat plate portion 135 extends in the horizontal direction on the front surface portion of the container main body 50, and a grip portion 136 is formed on the lower surface thereof downward. The gripping part 136 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape opened upward, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs 137 are provided in the front and rear direction in the space inside. On the upper surface of the flat plate portion 135, five rectangular frame-shaped attachment portions 138 are provided so as to protrude upward, and the anti-counterfeit identification protrusion 139 is fitted and fixed to the attachment portion 138. Since the identification protrusion 139 is provided on the attachment portion 138 selected at random for each developing device, the development device cannot be inserted if the attachment position of the identification protrusion 139 is different.

  On the bottom surface of the container main body 50, as shown in FIG. 19, a rail portion 140 projects from the entire length in the direction in which the developing device 22 is inserted. Sliding surface portions 66, 67 and 68 are formed in the container main body 50 in a curved shape, and the rail portion 140 is disposed in the valley between the sliding surface portions 67 and 68. The rail portion 140 has two side wall portions formed at a predetermined interval, and a horizontal rail-like rib that connects between the side wall portions. The rail portion 140 includes three linear portions 140a, 140b, and 140c, and the distance between the shaft of the developing roller 55 and the rail portion 140 is from the leading end side in the insertion direction (slightly lower left direction in FIG. 19) to the rear end side. It is set so that it may become large in order of 140a, 140b, and 140c. Between each linear part, it forms in the diagonal direction with respect to the insertion direction, and the insertion part 141 is formed by the side wall part closing and sharpening the insertion direction front-end | tip part of the linear part 140a.

  In the main body frame 70 of the image forming apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 20, a space for mounting the developing device 22 is set between the bottom surface portion 142 and the top surface portion 143. The height of the guide protrusions 132a and 132b is set so that a slight gap is generated between the lower surface of the upper surface portion 143 when the developing device 22 is mounted. This prevents the developing unit 22 from moving up and down. On the lower surface of the upper surface portion 143, a regulating member 144 and an identification engaging portion 145 project downwardly along the front opening end on the front side of FIG. The regulating member 144 has a guide surface 146 that is inclined in the insertion direction on the front opening side. The regulating surface 147 opposite to the photosensitive drum 25 is inserted with the developing device 22 away from the photosensitive drum 25. So that it is positioned. When the guide protrusion 132a or 132b comes to the position regulated by the regulating surface 147, there is only a slight gap between the side surface of the developing device 22 and the side surface portion 148 of the main body frame 70. Is put in and out without shaking from side to side. The identification engagement portion 145 is disposed at a position where the identification protrusion 139 that protrudes from the developing device 22 is not provided, and the identification protrusion 139 that does not correspond to the identification engagement portion 145 is provided. When the developing device is inserted, it cannot be inserted in contact with the identification engagement portion 145.

  As shown in FIG. 21, linear guide portions 149 and 150 project from the upper surface of the bottom surface portion 142 of the main body frame 70 along the insertion direction of the developing device 22. Since the developing device 22 is inserted or removed along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 25, the guide portions 149 and 150 are formed along the photosensitive drum 25. The guide portions 149 and 150 are arranged at a predetermined interval, and the guide portion 149 is set to have a larger interval from the photosensitive drum 25 than the guide portion 150. The guide portion 149 is formed with straight portions 149a, 149b, 149c, and 149d in order from the rear surface side (the front end side in the insertion direction of the developing device 22 and the front side in FIG. 21). The distance from the photosensitive drum 25 is set so as to increase gradually toward the side (the rear end side in the insertion direction of the developing device 22 and the back side in FIG. 21). Between each linear part, it forms in the diagonal direction with respect to the insertion direction. On the other hand, linear portions 150a, 150b and 150c are also formed in order from the rear surface side on the guide portion 150, the linear portion 150a is the linear portions 149a and 149b, the linear portion 150b is the linear portion 149c, and the linear portion 150c is the linear portion. 149d is arranged corresponding to each. Therefore, each linear part of the guide part 150 is also set so that the distance from the photosensitive drum 25 increases sequentially from the rear side to the front side.

  Between the guide portions 149 and 150, a rail portion 140 protruding from the bottom surface of the developing device 22 is inserted and guided. When the insertion portion 141 of the rail portion 140 is inserted, the insertion position of the developing device 22 is restricted by the restriction member 144 and the side surface portion 148 of the main body frame 70 as described above. 149 is guided and inserted between the straight part 149d of the guide part 150 and the straight part 150c of the guide part 150. This is schematically shown in FIGS. 22 to 24. FIG. FIG. 22 is a plan view showing a state before the developing device 22 is inserted into the main body frame 70. FIG. 23 shows a state in which the developing device 22 is inserted into the main body frame 70 and the guide protrusion 132 b is in contact with the guide surface 146 of the regulating member 144. Since the guide surface 146 is inclined in the insertion direction, the developing device 22 is guided toward the regulating surface 147 and inserted at a position away from the photosensitive drum 25 as shown in FIG. At that time, as described above, the insertion portion 141 of the rail portion 140 is inserted between the guide portions 149 and 150.

  Further, when the developing device 22 is inserted, as shown in FIG. 25, the insertion portion 141 is guided between the linear portions 149c and 150b, and the developing device 22 moves to the photosensitive drum 25 side. When the inserting operation of the developing device 22 is continued, the identification protrusion 139 provided on the upper surface of the developing device 22 approaches the identification engaging portion 145 of the main body frame 70 as shown in FIG. Can be passed as a regular developer. After the identification protrusion 139 passes the identification engagement portion 145, the straight portions 140a, 140b, 140c of the rail portion 140 abut on the straight portions 149b, 149c, 149d of the guide portion 149, respectively, as shown in FIG. It is inserted to the position. Further, as shown in FIG. 28, the linear portion 149a of the guide portion 149 and the linear portion 140a of the rail portion 140 are engaged with each other, and the developing device 22 further approaches the photosensitive drum 25 by being further inserted. Move to position. Thus, the developing device 22 is mounted without contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum 25 while being sequentially guided to a position close to the photosensitive drum 25. Further, when the developing device 22 is taken out, as shown in FIG. 29, the linear portion 140a of the rail portion 140 is engaged with the linear portion 150b of the guide portion 150 so that the developing device 22 moves away from the photosensitive drum 25. Therefore, the developing device 22 sequentially moves away from the photosensitive drum 25 by the drawing operation. When the guide protrusion 132a passes through the regulation surface 147 of the main body frame 70, the developing device 22 can further perform a drawing operation. The distance between the guide protrusion 132a and the developing roller 55 is set larger than that of the guide protrusion 132b in accordance with the movement of the developing device 22 by the rail portion 140. If the rail part 140 is detached from the guide part 150, the guide protrusion 132a abuts on the regulating member 144 and the developing device 22 cannot be taken out. Therefore, the developing device 22 cannot be taken out unless it is away from the photosensitive drum 25, and the safety when removing the developing device 22 is increased.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 18, an elastic member 151 is bonded and fixed to a portion protruding toward the photosensitive drum 25 on the front end side in the insertion direction of the developing device 22. The elastic member 151 is formed by forming a material having elasticity, such as felt or sponge, in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Even if the elastic member 151 contacts the photosensitive drum 25, the elastic member 151 is not damaged. The elastic member 151 is disposed adjacent to the leading end side in the insertion direction of the developing roller 55 and is fixed to a portion that protrudes most toward the photosensitive drum 25. Therefore, immediately before positioning the developing device 22 so that the developing roller 55 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 25, or when the developing roller 55 is removed from the positioned state, the portion most likely to come into contact with the photosensitive drum 25 is provided. Even if the elastic member 151 is attached and contacted, it can be prevented from being damaged.

[Developer positioning mechanism]
As shown in FIG. 28, after the developing device 22 is inserted to the back of the main body frame 70, positioning is performed so that the developing roller 55 is uniformly pressed against the photosensitive drum 25.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a pressing mechanism 71 is disposed on the bottom surface of the main body frame 70, and the pressing mechanism 71 pushes up the bottom surface of the container main body 50 of the developing device 22, so that the developing roller 50 is moved to the photosensitive member. Press contact with the drum 25. FIG. 30 shows a state in which the developing unit 22 is inserted into the main body frame 70 as seen from the front side, but the pressing mechanism 71 is orthogonal to the rotation center axes 152 and 153 of the photosensitive drum 25 and the developing roller 55. It presses in the direction of the parallel arrow along the straight line 154.

  A guide member 156 is fixed to the front frame 155 of the container body 50 so that the developing roller 55 is accurately set on the photosensitive drum 25 when pressed by the pressing mechanism 71. The guide member 156 has a flat plate shape and is fixed at a position near the photosensitive drum 25 of the front frame 155. A guide portion 157 extending toward the rotation center axis 152 of the photosensitive drum 25 is formed, and an elliptical guide hole 158 is formed in the guide portion 157 along the straight line 154. Yes. The width of the guide hole 158 is set to such an extent that the rotation center shaft 152 is fitted.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 31, on the rear side of the developing device 22, a positioning long hole 160 is formed along the straight line 154 in the rear surface portion 159 of the main body frame 70. The width of the positioning slot 160 is set such that the rotation center shaft 153 of the developing roller 55 is fitted.

  FIG. 32 is a schematic view showing a state in which the developing roller 55 is in pressure contact with the photosensitive drum 25. The photosensitive drum 25 has a front end of the rotation center shaft 152 supported by the upper surface 143 of the main body frame 70 and a rear end supported by the rear surface 159. As shown in FIG. 28, when the developing device 22 is inserted, the end portion of the rotation center shaft 153 of the developing roller 55 protruding outward from the cover member 80 mounted on the rear surface side of the developing device 22 is the positioning length. It is guided to be inserted into the hole 160. At the same time, the guide hole 158 of the guide member 157 fixed to the front side of the developing device 22 is guided so as to be fitted into the end portion of the rotation center shaft 152 of the photosensitive drum 25 protruding outward from the upper surface portion 143. .

  Thus, the rotation center shaft 152 of the photosensitive drum 25 is set in the guide hole 158 and the rotation center shaft 153 of the developing roller 55 is set in the positioning slot 160, and the pressing mechanism 71 is operated to push up the developing device 22. At that time, since the guide hole 158 and the positioning long hole 160 are formed in a hole shape along the straight line 154, the developing device 22 moves along the straight line 154, and the rotation center shaft 153 of the developing roller 55 is Then, it is set at a position parallel to the rotation center axis 152 of the photosensitive drum 25. Gap rollers 161 are fixed to the rotation center shaft 153 on both sides of the developing roller 55. The gap roller 161 is set to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the developing roller 55 in order to maintain a predetermined distance between the surface of the photosensitive drum 25 and the rotation center shaft 153 of the developing roller 55. The gap roller 161 is pressed against the surface of the photosensitive drum 25 by the pressing force of the pressing mechanism 71, so that the developing roller 55 can be brought into a uniform pressure contact state with the surface of the photosensitive drum 25.

  Further, when the photosensitive drum 25 and the developing roller 55 are driven to rotate, the developing roller 55 is dragged in the rotating direction of the photosensitive drum 25. However, as described above, the developing unit 22 has the guide hole 158 and positioning. Since the long hole 160 is set to have a width that allows the rotation center shafts 152 and 153 to be fitted to each other, the long hole 160 is restricted by each hole and does not deviate from the set position.

[Developer pressing mechanism]
Next, the pressing mechanism 71 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 21, the pressing mechanism 71 is disposed near the photosensitive drum 25 in the bottom surface portion 142 of the main body frame 70. 33 and 34 are perspective views of the pressing mechanism 71. FIG. FIG. 33 shows a state where the operation unit 162 is manually rotated to the operating position, and the rectangular plate-like pressing plate 163 is raised and protrudes from the substrate 164. FIG. 34 shows that the operation unit 162 is counterclockwise manually. The state is shown in which the pressing plate 163 is lowered by being rotated to the standby position that has fallen around. In FIG. 33, the toner remaining amount detection sensor 72 is rotated to the set position in the replenishing chamber of the developing device 22 in accordance with the rotation operation of the operation unit 162 to the operating position. In FIG. With the rotation operation, the toner remaining amount detection sensor 72 is rotated to the retracted position.

  FIG. 35 is an exploded perspective view of the pressing mechanism 71. The operation unit 162 is fixed to the front end portion of the operation rotating shaft 166. The operating rotary shaft 166 is rotatably held by a bearing portion 167 that is vertically lowered at the front end and the rear end of the substrate 164. A plate cam member 168 and a sensor cam member 169 are fixed to an intermediate portion of the operation rotating shaft 166. The pressing plate 163 extends in a belt shape in the front-rear direction, and four holding portions 170 that accommodate the action member 171 are formed. In the example shown in FIG. 35, the action member 171 is accommodated in each of the two holding portions 170 in the central portion, and the two holding portions 170 in the both side portions are empty. Each holding portion 170 is formed in a prismatic shape, and a rectangular space for accommodating the action member 171 is formed inside. Each of the holding portions 171 is arranged two in front and behind at a symmetrical position with respect to the vertical center line of the pressing plate 163. Ribs 172 are formed on the upper and lower edges of the pressing plate 163, and vertical ribs 173 that connect the upper and lower ribs are formed at predetermined intervals to increase the strength of the pressing plate 163. Guide protrusions 174 are formed at both ends of the pressing plate 163 in the front-rear direction, and restriction protrusions 175 are provided below the protrusions 174. Further, a cam receiving portion 176 is projected in the horizontal direction at the center of the lower edge of the pressing plate 163.

  A notch 177 is formed on the side surface of the substrate 164 close to the photosensitive drum 25 corresponding to the mounting position of the pressing plate 163, and the pressing plate 163 further receives the holding portion 170 in the notch 177. A holding receiving portion 178 is formed. Further, on the front and back sides of the notch 177, a recess 179 for moving the guide projection 174 up and down is formed. The holding receiving portion 178 has a guide surface parallel to the straight line 154 shown in FIG. 30 and, although not shown, the regulating projection 175 is moved up and down along the straight line 154 inside the bearing portion 167. Grooves are formed.

  When the pressing plate 163 is mounted on the substrate 164, the restricting projection 175 is inserted into the groove, the guide projection 174 is fitted into the recess 179, and each holding portion 170 is fitted into the holding receiving portion 178. To. In the mounted state, the pressing plate 163 moves up and down along the straight line 154 by the groove into which the guide surface of the holding receiving portion 178 and the restricting projection 175 are inserted.

  On the other hand, on the side surface of the substrate 164 opposite to the photoconductive drum 25, a pair of shaft support portions 180 are attached to the central portion so that the toner remaining amount detection sensor 72 is rotatably attached. A pair of rotating shafts 182 project from the front and rear side surfaces of the attachment portion 181 provided in the toner remaining amount detection sensor 72, and the attachment portion 181 is inserted between the pair of shaft support portions 180 to rotate. The moving shaft 182 is fitted into the shaft support portion 180, and the toner remaining amount detection sensor 72 is attached.

  One engagement end of the plate coil spring 184 is engaged with the engagement hole portion 183 formed adjacent to the cam receiving portion 176 of the pressing plate 163, and the other engagement end is connected to the operation rotating shaft 166. Is engaged. The plate spring 184 biases the pressing plate 163 so as to always pull the pressing plate 163 toward the operation rotating shaft 166. When the pressing plate 163 is urged by the plate spring 184, the pressing plate 163 moves downward, and the bottom surface of the restricting protrusion 175 is held in contact with the operation rotating shaft 166.

  An engagement projection 185 is provided on the side surface of the plate cam member 168, and one engagement end of the cam coil spring 186 is engaged with the engagement projection 185, and the other engagement end is connected to the shaft support portion 180. It is engaged with an engaging hole 187 formed in the board 164 adjacently. The cam coil spring 186 normally biases the plate cam member 168 so as to rotate counterclockwise as viewed from the direction of the arrow 300 in FIG. Therefore, when the plate cam member 168 is rotated counterclockwise by the cam coil spring 186, the operation rotating shaft 166 is also rotated, and the operation portion 162 is rotated to the standby position.

  A compression spring 188 is attached to the inside of the attachment portion 181 of the toner remaining amount detection sensor 72 between the lower surface of the substrate 164. The compression spring 188 acts to press the pressure contact portion 189 formed at a position closer to the photosensitive drum 25 than the rotation shaft 182, so that the toner remaining amount detection sensor 72 always rotates clockwise. It is energized.

  FIG. 36 is a side view of the pressing mechanism 71 in the standby state shown in FIG. 34 when viewed from the opposite side of the photosensitive drum 25. 37A to 37C are sectional views taken along the lines AA, BB, and CC in FIG. As shown in FIG. 36, the pressing plate 163 is urged downward by the plate coil spring 184 so that the bottom surface of the restricting projection 175 is in contact with the operating rotation shaft 166. FIG. 38 is an exploded perspective view of the holding portion 170 portion. FIG. 39 is a side view of the pressing mechanism in the operating state shown in FIG. 33 as viewed from the opposite side of the photosensitive drum 25. 40A to 40C are cross-sectional views taken along lines AA, BB, and CC in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 38, the action member 171 has a small-diameter cylindrical portion 190 formed in a portion accommodated in the holding portion 170, and a coil spring 191 is attached to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 190. Since the coil spring 191 is sandwiched between the bottom surface inside the holding portion 170 and the prism portion at the top of the cylindrical portion 190 of the action member 171, the coil spring 191 acts to constantly urge the action member 171 upward. A hole 193 is formed in the bottom surface of the holding portion 170, and the screw 192 is screwed into the cylindrical portion 190 of the action member 171 through the hole 193 and fixed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 37A, the head of the screw 192 engages with the bottom surface of the holding portion 170, so that the action member 171 is held in the holding portion 170 against the urging force of the coil spring 191. The As shown in FIG. 40A, in a state where the action member 171 presses the bottom surface of the developing device 22, the action member 171 is pushed into the holding portion 170, and the head portion of the screw 192 protrudes downward. In this state, the bottom surface of the developing device 22 is pressed and held by the repulsive force of the coil spring 191. By changing the length of screwing the screw 192 into the cylindrical portion 190, the urging force of the coil spring 192 can be changed. Therefore, when the action member 171 presses the bottom surface of the developing device 22, the pressing force can be adjusted by the degree of screwing of the screw 192. Since each action member 171 can be independently adjusted with the screw 192, for example, after the developing device 22 is mounted, the pressing force is checked while checking the pressure contact state between the photosensitive drum 25 and the developing roller 55. Can be fine-tuned.

  A hemispherical contact portion 194 is formed on the upper surface of the action member 171. On the other hand, a cross-shaped contact rib 195 is formed on the bottom surface of the developing device 22 at a position corresponding to the contact portion 194 as shown in FIG. When the developing device 22 is inserted into the main body frame 70, the center of the contact rib 195 is set to be substantially at the center of the contact portion 194, and the hemispherical contact portion 194 is cross-shaped. By pressing the center of the contact rib 195, a pressing operation by point contact is performed, and the pressing can be performed in the arrow direction of FIG. 2 along the straight line 154. When a plane including the rotation center axis 152 of the photosensitive drum 25 and the rotation center axis 153 of the developing roller 55 is assumed, the contact points of the contact portion 194 and the contact rib 195 are spaced from the plane at substantially the same interval. Are arranged along this plane. Further, since the bottom surface of the developing device 22 is formed with the contact rib 195, the strength is increased, and deformation due to pressing does not occur.

  The plate cam member 168 has two inclined surfaces 197 and 198 formed so as to spread from the top portion 196 toward the operation rotating shaft 166 as shown in the cross-sectional shape of FIG. The inclined surface 197 opposite to the photoconductor drum 25 has a shape bulging outward, and the inclined surface 198 near the photoconductor drum 25 has a substantially flat shape. The plate cam member 168 is urged to rotate counterclockwise by the cam coil spring 186 (in FIG. 36, the direction from the paper surface toward the front side). In the standby state of the pressing mechanism 71, FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the top 196 is located on the opposite side of the photosensitive drum 25 with respect to the operating rotation shaft 166, the pressing plate 163 is urged downward by the plate coil spring 184, and the cam receiving portion 176 is inclined 198. It is in the state which stopped in contact with.

  When the operation unit 162 is manually rotated clockwise, the operation rotating shaft 166 is also rotated in the same manner, so that the plate cam member 168 fixed to the operation rotating shaft 166 is rotated clockwise. The plate cam member 168 rotates from the state of FIG. 37B to the state of FIG. 40B, and the top portion 196 of the plate cam member 168 pushes up the cam receiving portion 176 as shown in FIG. 40B. It rotates as follows. Therefore, the pressing plate 163 moves upward. At that time, the pressing plate 163 moves along the guide surface 199 formed on the main body frame 70. The guide surface 199 is formed along the straight line 154 described above. When the top portion 196 is pushed up while sliding the cam receiving portion 176 by the rotation of the plate cam member 168 and is rotated to the photosensitive drum 25 side of the pressing plate 163, as shown in FIG. From the end edge of the receiving part 176, it enters between the pressing plate 163 and the guide surface 199. At the moment when the top portion 196 leaves the edge of the cam receiving portion 176, the pressing plate 163 slightly falls due to gravity and the tensile force of the plate coil spring 184. The impact due to this movement of the pressing plate 163 (load fluctuation during rotation due to the urging force of the coil spring 184) is transmitted from the operating rotary shaft 166 to the operating portion 162, and the operator is notified that the pressing mechanism 71 is set to the operating position. The The top portion 196 enters between the pressing plate 163 and the guide surface 199, so that the plate cam member 168 is held in this operating position.

  As shown in the side shape of FIG. 37C, the sensor cam member 169 has two inclined surfaces 201 and 202 formed so as to spread from the top portion 200 toward the operation rotating shaft 166. The inclined surface 201 on the side opposite to the photosensitive drum 25 has a shape bulging outward, and the inclined surface 202 on the side close to the photosensitive drum 25 has a substantially flat shape. In the standby state shown in FIG. 36, the top portion 200 is in contact with the sliding surface 203 formed on the lower surface of the mounting portion 181 of the remaining toner amount detection sensor 72. In this state, the attachment portion 181 is urged downward by the compression spring 188 and comes into pressure contact with the top portion 200. However, since the sensor cam member 169 is fixed to the operation rotating shaft 166 and the plate cam member 168 is in contact with the cam receiving portion 176 by the cam coil spring 186 as described above, the sensor cam member 169 is stopped. 169 is also in a stopped state. Accordingly, since the sensor unit 204 of the toner remaining amount detection sensor 72 is held in a state of being retracted downward, the sensor unit 204 can be prevented from contacting the bottom surface of the developing unit 22 when the developing unit 22 is inserted.

  In the operation state shown in FIG. 40C, the sensor cam member 169 rotates clockwise, the top portion 200 is separated from the sliding surface 203, and the inclined surface 201 and the sliding surface 203 come into contact with each other. In this state, the attachment portion 181 moves downward, the toner remaining amount detection sensor 72 rotates clockwise in FIG. 40, and the sensor portion 204 moves upward. As shown in FIG. 2, when the sensor unit 204 moves upward, the sensor unit 204 is set in a concave groove 73 provided on the bottom surface of the replenishment chamber of the developing device 22. As shown in FIG. 19, two concave grooves 73 are provided on both sides of the remaining amount detection unit 205, and the concave groove 73 and the remaining amount detection unit 205 are integrally formed of a synthetic resin transparent member. Yes. As shown in FIG. 2, the remaining amount detection unit 205 is formed to have a predetermined groove width along the rotation trajectory of the cleaning member 206 attached to the paddle 61, and the toner in the remaining amount detection unit 205 is cleaned. Each time the member 206 slides in the remaining amount detection unit 205, the member 206 is once discharged out of the remaining amount detection unit 205.

  FIG. 41 is a cross-sectional view orthogonal to the traveling direction of the cleaning member 206, showing that the sensor unit 204 is set in the concave groove 73 and the cleaning member 206 cleans the remaining amount detection unit 205. The cleaning member 206 is configured by stacking a plurality of rectangular sheet bodies made of rubber, and the width of one sheet body is slightly larger than the groove width of the remaining amount detection unit 205 and is orthogonal to the traveling direction. It is attached to the surface to be Therefore, on both side portions 207 of the remaining amount detection unit 205, the sheet member of the cleaning member 206 always slides and the toner is once removed. On the other hand, in the sensor unit 204, a light emitter is fixed to the protruding portion 208 set in one concave groove 73, and a light receiver is fixed to the protruding portion 209 set in the other concave groove 73. ing. Then, the light receiver outputs a detection signal depending on whether or not the light transmitted from the light emitter has passed through the remaining amount detector 205.

  Each time the cleaning member 206 slides in synchronization with the rotation of the paddle 61 in the remaining amount detection unit 205, the light from the light emitter passes through both side portions 207 of the remaining amount detection unit 205 and the light receiver outputs a detection signal. . When a sufficient amount of toner is stored in the replenishing chamber, the remaining amount detection unit 205 after sliding of the cleaning member 206 is again filled with toner, so that the light receiver does not detect light. When the remaining amount of toner decreases, the remaining amount detection unit 205 cannot be filled with toner, and the light receiver continues to detect light. Based on such a change in the detection signal, the toner remaining amount detection sensor 72 transmits a remaining amount detection signal indicating that the remaining amount of toner has decreased to the control unit of the apparatus main body.

[Other safety mechanisms]
The pressing mechanism 71 rotates the operation unit 162 clockwise from the standby position to the operating position as shown in FIGS. 33 and 34, thereby pressing the bottom surface of the developing device 22 to bring the developing roller 55 to the photosensitive drum 25. Position by pressing. Therefore, if the pressing operation is performed with the developing device 22 being incompletely inserted, or the operation unit 162 is not correctly set to the operating position, the developing device 22 is not correctly positioned, and image formation cannot be performed normally. However, since the insertion of the developing device 22 and the operation of the operation unit 162 are performed by humans, it is impossible to avoid incomplete setting or forgetting to set. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a safety mechanism that can easily recognize that the operator has correctly set the developing device 22 is provided.

  First, in order to prevent the developing unit 22 from being pressed by the pressing mechanism while being incompletely inserted, an arcuate protrusion 210 is formed on the front frame 155 of the developing unit 22 as shown in FIG. Yes. FIG. 42 is a perspective view showing a state in which the operation unit 162 is in the standby position as in FIG. FIG. 44A is an enlarged plan view showing a portion related to the protrusion 210 in FIG. As can be seen from these drawings, the arc-shaped protrusion 210 is formed in an arc shape centering on the rotation center of the operation rotating shaft 166 to which the operation portion 162 is fixed, and has a plate shape toward the operation portion 162. Protruding. As shown in FIG. 44, the width is set so as to gradually increase along the direction from the standby position side of the operation unit 162 toward the operation position, and the operation direction of the operation unit 162 on the end surface of the protrusion 210. In contrast, an inclined surface 211 is formed. The setting surface 212 set to the maximum width of the protrusion 210 is set so as to be substantially equal to the distance from the front frame 155 of the developing device 22 when the operation unit 162 is set to the operating position. Yes. Further, two protrusions 210 are provided and are formed concentrically.

  When the operation unit 162 is manually rotated clockwise from the standby position, when the developing device 22 is not correctly inserted into the main body frame 70, the projection 210 is shifted to the front side. As shown in FIG. 44B, the end surface of the operation unit 162 on the developing device 22 side comes into contact with the inclined surface 211. Since the operation unit 162 is fixed to the operation rotating shaft 166 and does not move in the axial direction, the protrusion 210 is pushed in the insertion direction of the developing device 22. Accordingly, the developing device 22 moves in the insertion direction in accordance with the rotation operation of the operation unit 162.

  FIG. 43 is a perspective view showing a state in which the operation unit 162 is set to the operating position, and FIG. 44C is a plan view in which a portion related to the protrusion 210 in FIG. 43 is enlarged. As can be seen from these drawings, the pressing mechanism 71 is in a state where the end surface of the operation unit 162 is in contact with the maximum width setting surface 212 of the protrusion 210 and the insertion position of the developing device 22 is always set to the correct position. The pressing operation is performed. In addition, since the load is applied to the operation unit 162 when the operation unit 162 comes into contact with the setting surface 212, the operator can easily recognize that the developing device 22 has been set to the correct position.

  Next, a mechanism for preventing the case where the operation unit 162 is not correctly set to the operating position or the case where the operation unit 162 is forgotten to be set will be described. FIG. 45 is a perspective view of the entire image forming apparatus 1 showing a state in which the main body cover 213 is opened. The main body cover 213 is pivotally supported by the apparatus main body at both ends of the lower end portion, and is opened so as to fall down on the front side. When attaching / detaching the developing device 22, the main body cover 213 is first opened, the attaching / detaching operation of the developing device 22 is performed as described above, and the main body cover 213 is closed.

  On the inner surface of the main body cover 213, a restricting projection 214 having a rectangular cross section and formed in a cylindrical shape is projected. The restricting protrusion 214 has a height that protrudes into a passing region where the operating portion 162 moves from the standby position to the operating position with the main body cover 213 closed. Therefore, if the restricting projection 214 comes into contact with the operation unit 162 when the main body cover 213 is closed, the main body cover 162 cannot be closed.

  FIG. 46 is a view of the restricting protrusion 214 viewed from the front side when the main body cover 213 is closed. The operation unit 162 is configured to rotate from a standby position drawn with a dotted line to an operating position drawn with a solid line. In a state where the operation unit 162 is set to the operating position, the restricting protrusion 214 is positioned so as to come to the standby position side of the operation unit 162, and the surface facing the operation unit 162 is in the vicinity of the operation unit 162. positioned. Therefore, even if the operation unit 162 is slightly deviated from the operating position, the restricting projection 214 collides with the operation unit 162 and the main body cover 213 cannot be closed. Further, the width of the operation direction of the operation portion 162 of the restriction projection portion 214 is set so as to reach the standby position of the operation portion 162. Even if the operation portion 162 remains in the standby position due to forgetting to operate, the restriction projection portion 214. Will collide with the operation part 162, and the main body cover 213 cannot be closed.

  As described above, since the main body cover 213 cannot be closed unless the operation unit 162 is correctly set in the operating position, the operator can easily recognize that the developing device 22 is not correctly mounted. It becomes like this.

1 is a schematic sectional view of an entire image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an expanded sectional view regarding a recording part. It is an expanded sectional view regarding a developing device. It is an external view regarding the rear surface part of a developing device. It is an external view of the state which removed the cover member in FIG. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the entire developing device. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the paddle portion of FIG. 5. It is a perspective view of a blade part. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the blade contact | abutted to the developing roller. It is explanatory drawing regarding the manufacturing process of a braid | blade. It is explanatory drawing regarding the adjustment with respect to a deformation | transformation of a braid | blade. It is an assembly drawing of a blade. It is explanatory drawing regarding the state which the blade contact | abutted to the developing roller. It is an enlarged view regarding the electrical connection structure of a developing device. It is an enlarged view regarding the back side of the cover member provided with the electrical connection structure. It is a perspective view regarding a contact member. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the direction of the developing device. It is the perspective view seen from the downward direction of a developing device. It is the perspective view which looked at the state which inserted the developing device in the main body frame from the front side. It is a perspective view regarding the upper surface of the bottom face part of a main body frame. It is a state diagram which inserts a developing device into a main body frame. It is a state diagram which inserts a developing device into a main body frame. It is a state diagram which inserts a developing device into a main body frame. It is a state diagram which inserts a developing device into a main body frame. It is a state diagram which inserts a developing device into a main body frame. It is a state diagram which inserts a developing device into a main body frame. It is a state diagram which inserts a developing device into a main body frame. It is a state diagram which inserts a developing device into a main body frame. It is the figure which looked at the inserted developing device from the front side. It is the figure which looked at the inserted developing device from the back side. It is explanatory drawing regarding the positioning state of a photoconductor drum and a developing roller. It is a perspective view of the operating state of a press mechanism. It is a perspective view of the standby state of a press mechanism. It is a disassembled perspective view of a press mechanism. It is a side view of the standby state of a press mechanism. It is AA, BB, and CC sectional drawing of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of an action part. It is a side view of the operating state of a press mechanism. It is AA, BB, and CC sectional drawing of FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram regarding a detection operation of a toner remaining amount detection sensor. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the developing device and the operation unit in a standby state as viewed from the front side. It is the perspective view which looked at the developing device and the operation part of the operation state from the front side. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the protrusion part of a developing device, and an operation part. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the entire image forming apparatus with a main body cover opened. It is a figure explaining the positional relationship of a control protrusion part and an operation part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Document reading part 3 Paper feed part 4 Recording part
22 Developer
25 Photosensitive drum
50 Container body
51 lid
55 Developing roller
70 Body frame
71 Pressing mechanism
72 Toner level detection sensor
100 blade

Claims (4)

A latent image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a main body frame that pivotally supports the latent image carrier, a developer carrier that supplies developer to the latent image carrier, and development on the developer carrier A replenishing chamber for replenishing the agent and removably mounted in the main body frame along the axial direction of the latent image carrier; and the replenishment provided on the main body frame and on the bottom surface of the developing unit A remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of developer in the room, an operating means for operating the slide to press or release the developer by sliding a pressing body provided on the main body frame, and the operating means The retraction position is moved in conjunction with the pressing operation of the actuating means while the remaining amount detecting means is moved to a retreat position that retreats downward from a region that passes when the developing device is attached and detached in conjunction with the pressing release operation of Move upward from Image forming apparatus characterized by to and a moving means for moving the operating position for detecting the remaining amount of the developer. The actuating means includes a rotating shaft pivotally supported by the main body frame and a first cam member fixed to the rotating shaft, and the first cam member acts on the pressing body by rotating the rotating shaft. And slide
The moving means includes a second cam member fixed to the rotating shaft, and the second cam member acts on the remaining amount detecting means to move when the rotating shaft rotates. Item 2. The image forming apparatus according to Item 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining amount detecting unit is pivotally supported by the main body frame and is rotated by the moving unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining amount detecting unit is inserted into a remaining amount detecting unit formed in the developing unit and set at the operating position.

Images