JP4586620B2 - Developing cartridge, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, and a developing cartridge and a process cartridge provided in the image forming apparatus.

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a laser printer usually includes a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed and a developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum. Yes.
The developing device includes a toner storage chamber in which toner is stored. The toner storage chamber is provided with an agitator for stirring the toner. The side wall of the toner storage chamber is provided with a light transmission window for detecting the remaining amount of toner, and the agitator is provided with a cleaning member for cleaning the light transmission window (for example, (See Patent Document 1).

The cleaning member is fixed to the agitator, for example, as shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 14A, a support plate 104 is provided at the shaft end portion of the rotating shaft 102 of the agitator 101 so as to extend in the radial direction opposite to the stirring member 103 of the agitator 101 around the rotating shaft 102. A boss 105 protruding from the support plate 104 is formed on the support plate 104. As shown in FIG. 14B, the cleaning member 106 is made of a flat elastic member and has a hole inserted through the boss 105. The hole of the cleaning member 106 is inserted through the boss 105. In this state, the back surface side of the cleaning member 106 is attached to the support plate 104 via a double-sided tape, and the front surface side of the cleaning member 106 is pressed by a push nut 107 inserted through the boss 105, whereby the cleaning member 106 is It is fixed to the support plate 104 so as to be sandwiched between the support plate 104 and the push nut 107.
JP 2000-250296 A

However, as described above, when the cleaning member 106 is fixed by the double-sided tape, the push nut 107 or the like, the number of parts increases and the assembling work becomes complicated. In addition, when it is stuck with a double-sided tape, it becomes difficult to cleanly remove the cleaning member 106 from the support plate 104 during recycling.
An object of the present invention is to provide a developing cartridge in which a cleaning member is fixed to a stirring member with a simple configuration, and a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus equipped with the developing cartridge.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a developer cartridge for detecting a developer accommodating chamber for accommodating a developer and an amount of developer accommodated in the developer accommodating chamber. A cleaning member for cleaning the window, a stirring member for stirring the developer stored in the developer storage chamber, and a slit provided in the stirring member into which the cleaning member is inserted. And a fixing member for fixing the cleaning member by inserting the cleaning member into the slit, and the fixing members are arranged to face each other across the cleaning member to be inserted. And a second plate portion, and one of the first plate portion and the second plate portion is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes inward in the opposing direction of the first plate portion and the second plate portion. And the cleaning member As the protrusion is inserted in the thickness direction of the cleaning member is characterized in that the receiving portion to receive the protruding portion is formed.

  According to such a structure, the cleaning member is being fixed to the stirring member via the fixing member by insertion with respect to the slit of a fixing member. Therefore, it is possible to fix the cleaning member to the stirring member by a simple assembly while eliminating the need for special parts for fixing the cleaning member and the stirring member. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced and assembly work can be performed. Efficiency can be improved. Moreover, since the cleaning member is being fixed to the fixing member by the insertion with respect to a slit, it can remove easily and can aim at the improvement of recyclability.

A cleaning member is inserted between the first plate portion and the second plate portion. Therefore, the cleaning member can be reliably fixed with a simple configuration.
Moreover, the protrusion provided in the 1st board part or the 2nd board part is received in the acceptance part of the cleaning member. Therefore, stronger fixation of the cleaning member to the stirring member can be realized.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1 , wherein the first plate portion and the second plate portion are either in the facing direction of the cleaning member to be inserted in the facing direction. Only one of them is formed.
According to such a configuration, since only one of the first plate portion and the second plate portion is formed at the facing portion of the cleaning member, the first plate portion and the second plate portion are formed at the first time. A board part and a 2nd board part can be shape | molded easily. Further, at the time of recycling, the developer mixed in the slit can be easily cleaned.

In addition, the invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the protrusion includes the first plate portion and the protrusion as the protrusion extends from the upstream side in the insertion direction of the cleaning member. An inclined portion is provided that extends inward in the facing direction to the second plate portion.

  According to such a configuration, in assembling the cleaning member to the fixing member, when the cleaning member is inserted from the upstream side in the insertion direction toward the downstream side, the cleaning member is guided along the inclination direction of the inclined portion of the protrusion. Then, it is inserted so as to get over the protruding portion, and then the receiving portion is received by the protruding portion. Therefore, smooth assembly work can be realized. On the other hand, after the receiving part is received by the protruding part, since the inclined direction of the inclined part of the protruding part is opposite to the direction of pulling out of the cleaning member, the protruding part restricts the extraction of the cleaning member and secures the fixing. Can be realized.

The invention of claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the other of the first plate portion and said second plate portion, one of said first plate portion Alternatively, a pressing plate for preventing the cleaning member from being lifted from the second plate portion is provided.
According to such a configuration, the pressing plate prevents the cleaning member from being lifted from the first plate portion or the second plate portion. Therefore, the cleaning member can be firmly fixed.

The invention of claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fixing member is in the insertion direction downstream side end portion of the cleaning member, insertion of the cleaning member It is characterized in that a restricting plate for restricting movement toward the downstream side is provided.
According to such a configuration, since the movement of the cleaning member to the downstream side in the insertion direction is restricted by the restriction plate, excessive insertion of the cleaning member can be prevented in the assembly of the cleaning member to the fixing member, and the cleaning is performed. The member can be reliably positioned and fixed.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claim 5 , wherein the restriction plate has a jig for peeling the cleaning member from one of the first plate portion or the second plate portion. A jig insertion portion through which is inserted is provided.
According to such a configuration, the cleaning member can be easily separated from the first plate portion or the second plate portion by inserting the jig through the jig insertion portion. Therefore, the recycling can be facilitated.

Further, the invention according to claim 7, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cleaning member is characterized by comprising a flexible, resilient member.
According to such a configuration, since the cleaning member is made of a flexible elastic member, it can be easily inserted into the slit. Therefore, the efficiency of the assembly work can be improved. Further, it can be easily pulled out from the slit. Therefore, the recyclability can be improved.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process cartridge comprising the developing cartridge according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the developing cartridge is supplied from the developer containing chamber. An electrostatic latent image which is provided with a developer carrying member for carrying the developer, is arranged to face the developer carrying member, and is visualized as a developer image upon receiving the developer supplied from the developer carrying member. An image carrier that carries an image carrier to be carried is provided.

According to such a configuration, since the developing cartridge in which the number of parts is reduced and the efficiency of the assembling work is provided, cost can be reduced and recycling can be facilitated.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: the process cartridge according to the eighth aspect ; and a recording medium onto which the developer image carried on the image carrier is transferred. And a fixing unit for fixing the developer image.

According to such a configuration, since the developing cartridge in which the number of parts is reduced and the efficiency of the assembling work is provided, cost can be reduced and recycling can be facilitated.
A tenth aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus comprising the developing cartridge according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the developing cartridge is supplied from the developer accommodating chamber. An electrostatic latent image that includes a developer carrying member carrying a developer, is disposed opposite to the developer carrying member, and is visualized as a developer image upon receiving the developer supplied from the developer carrying member. An image carrier that carries an image carrier that carries the image is provided.

According to such a configuration, since the developing cartridge in which the number of parts is reduced and the efficiency of the assembling work is provided, cost can be reduced and recycling can be facilitated.
The invention according to claim 11 is a developer cartridge, wherein a developer accommodating chamber for accommodating a developer, a window for detecting the amount of developer accommodated in the developer accommodating chamber, A cleaning member for cleaning the window, an agitating member for agitating the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating chamber, a slit provided in the agitating member and into which the cleaning member is inserted, and the cleaning A fixing member for fixing the cleaning member by inserting the member into the slit, and the fixing member includes a first plate portion and a second plate portion that are arranged to face each other with the cleaning member to be inserted therebetween. The first plate portion and the second plate portion are characterized in that only one of them is formed in the facing direction of the cleaning member to be inserted in the facing direction.
The invention according to claim 12 is a developer cartridge, wherein a developer storage chamber for storing a developer, a window for detecting the amount of developer stored in the developer storage chamber, A cleaning member for cleaning the window, an agitating member for agitating the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating chamber, a slit provided in the agitating member and into which the cleaning member is inserted, and the cleaning A fixing member for fixing the cleaning member by inserting the member into the slit, and the fixing member includes a first plate portion and a second plate portion that are disposed to face each other with the cleaning member to be inserted therebetween. And a regulating plate that is provided at a downstream end of the cleaning member in the insertion direction and regulates the movement of the cleaning member to the downstream side in the insertion direction. 1 board It is characterized in that the jig insertion portion jig for peeling from the second plate portion is inserted.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and increase the efficiency of assembly work. In addition, recyclability can be improved.
In addition , the cleaning member can be reliably fixed with a simple configuration.
In addition , the cleaning member can be more firmly fixed to the stirring member.
According to invention of Claim 2 , a 1st board part and a 2nd board part can be shape | molded easily. Further, at the time of recycling, the developer mixed in the slit can be easily cleaned.

According to invention of Claim 3 , the smooth assembly | attachment operation | work of a cleaning member is realizable. Moreover, the fixing of the cleaning member can be realized.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning member can be firmly fixed.

According to invention of Claim 5 , a cleaning member can be positioned and fixed reliably.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, recycling can be facilitated.
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the assembly work. In addition, recyclability can be improved.

According to the invention described in claim 8 , it is possible to reduce the cost and facilitate the recycling.
According to the invention described in claim 9 , it is possible to reduce the cost and facilitate the recycling.
According to the invention described in claim 10 , it is possible to reduce the cost and facilitate the recycling.

1. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a laser printer as an image forming apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a developing cartridge of the laser printer shown in FIG. .
As shown in FIG. 1, the laser printer 1 includes a main body casing 2, a feeder unit 4 for feeding paper 3 serving as a recording medium housed in the main body casing 2, and fed paper 3 is provided with an image forming section 5 for forming an image.

(1) Main Body Casing An attachment / detachment opening 6 for attaching / detaching a process cartridge 20 described later is formed on one side wall of the main body casing 2, and a front cover 7 for opening / closing the attachment / detachment opening 6 is provided. ing. The front cover 7 is rotatably supported by a cover shaft 8 inserted through a lower end portion thereof. Thus, when the front cover 7 is closed with the cover shaft 8 as a fulcrum, the attachment / detachment opening 6 is closed by the front cover 7, and when the front cover 7 is opened with the cover shaft 8 as a fulcrum, the attachment / detachment opening 6 is opened. The process cartridge 20 can be attached to and detached from the main casing 2 through the attachment / detachment port 6.

In the following description, in a state where the process cartridge 20 is mounted on the main casing 2, the side on which the front cover 7 is provided is referred to as “front side”, and the opposite side is referred to as “rear side”.
(2) Feeder unit The feeder unit 4 includes a paper feed tray 9 that is detachably attached to the bottom of the main body casing 2 along the front-rear direction, and a separation roller 10 that is provided above the front end of the paper feed tray 9. And a separation pad 11 and a paper feed roller 12 provided on the rear side of the separation roller 10 (upstream side of the separation pad 11 in the conveyance direction of the paper 3). In addition, the feeder unit 4 includes a paper dust removing roller 13 provided on the upper front side of the separation roller 10 (downstream in the conveyance direction of the paper 3 with respect to the separation roller 10), and a pinch disposed to face the paper dust removing roller 13. And a roller 14.

Further, the paper feed side transport path of the paper 3 is folded back to the rear side in a substantially U shape from the vicinity of the paper dust removing roller 13, and further on the downstream side in the transport direction and below the process cartridge 20. Is provided with a registration roller 15 composed of a pair of rollers.
Inside the paper feed tray 9, there is provided a paper pressing plate 16 on which the paper 3 can be stacked. The paper pressing plate 16 is supported at the rear end so as to be swingable, so that the front end is disposed below, the placement position along the bottom plate of the paper feed tray 9 and the front end are disposed above, It can be swung between an inclined supply position.

  A lever 17 for lifting the front end of the paper pressing plate 16 upward is provided at the front end of the paper feed tray 9. The lever 17 is supported at a position below the front end portion of the paper pressing plate 16 so that the rear end portion is swingably supported by the lever shaft 18, and the front end portion lies on the bottom plate of the paper feed tray 9. Is swingable between the inclined posture in which the paper pressing plate 16 is lifted. When a driving force is input to the lever shaft 18, the lever 17 rotates with the lever shaft 18 as a fulcrum, the front end portion of the lever 17 lifts the front end portion of the paper pressing plate 16, and the paper pressing plate 16 is brought to the supply position. Move.

When the sheet pressing plate 16 is positioned at the supply position, the uppermost sheet 3 on the sheet pressing plate 16 is pressed by the sheet feeding roller 12, and the separation roller 10 and the separation pad 11 are rotated by the rotation of the sheet feeding roller 12. Feeding is started toward the separation position between the two.
When the paper feed tray 9 is detached from the main casing 2, the paper pressing plate 16 is positioned at the placement position. When the paper pressing plate 16 is positioned at the mounting position, the paper 3 can be stacked on the paper pressing plate 16.

  The sheet 3 fed toward the separation position by the sheet feeding roller 12 is rolled and fed one by one when it is sandwiched between the separation roller 10 and the separation pad 11 by the rotation of the separation roller 10. Is done. The fed paper 3 passes between the paper dust removing roller 13 and the pinch roller 14, and after the paper dust is removed there, the paper 3 is folded back along the U-shaped paper feeding side conveyance path, and the registration roller It is conveyed toward 15.

The registration roller 15 conveys the sheet 3 after registration to a transfer position between the photosensitive drum 28 as the image carrier and the transfer roller 31 and transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum 28 to the sheet.
(3) Image Forming Unit The image forming unit 5 includes a scanner unit 19, a process cartridge 20, and a fixing unit 21 as fixing means.

(A) Scanner Unit The scanner unit 19 is provided in the upper part of the main casing 2 and includes a laser light source (not shown), a polygon mirror 22 that is driven to rotate, an fθ lens 23, a reflecting mirror 24, a lens 25, and a reflecting mirror 26. Yes. The laser beam based on the image data emitted from the laser light source is deflected by the polygon mirror 22 and passes through the fθ lens 23 as shown by a chain line, and then the optical path is turned back by the reflecting mirror 24 and further passes through the lens 25. Thereafter, the optical path is further bent downward by the reflecting mirror 26, so that the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 of the process cartridge 20 is irradiated.

(B) Process Cartridge The process cartridge 20 is provided below the scanner unit 19 in the main body casing 2 and is detachably attached to the main body casing 2 via the attachment / detachment port 6.
The process cartridge 20 includes a drum frame 27, and a photosensitive drum 28, a scorotron charger 29, a developing cartridge 30, a transfer roller 31, and a cleaning unit 32 provided in the drum frame 27.

  The photosensitive drum 28 has a cylindrical shape, and the outermost layer is formed of a positively chargeable photosensitive layer made of polycarbonate or the like. And a metal drum shaft 34 that extends. The drum shaft 34 is supported by the drum frame 27, and the drum main body 33 is rotatably supported by the drum shaft 34, so that the photosensitive drum 28 can be rotated about the drum shaft 34 in the drum frame 27. Is provided. Further, the photosensitive drum 28 is rotationally driven by receiving a driving force from a motor (not shown).

  The scorotron charger 29 is supported by the drum frame 27 obliquely above the rear side of the photosensitive drum 28, and is opposed to the photosensitive drum 28 with a gap so as not to contact the photosensitive drum 28. The scorotron charger 29 is provided between the discharge wire 91 and the photosensitive drum 28, which is disposed opposite to the photosensitive drum 28 with a space therebetween, and the amount of discharge from the discharge wire 91 to the photosensitive drum 28. And a grid 92 for controlling. In the scorotron charger 29, a bias voltage is applied to the grid 92 and simultaneously a high voltage is applied to the discharge wire 91 to cause corona discharge of the discharge wire 91, so that the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 is uniformly positive. To charge.

As shown in FIG. 2, the developing cartridge 30 includes a casing 36, a supply roller 37 provided in the casing 36, a developing roller 38 as a developer carrier, and a layer thickness regulating blade 39.
The developing cartridge 30 is detachably attached to the drum frame 27. Therefore, the developing cartridge 30 is attached to and detached from the process cartridge 20 through the attachment / detachment opening 6 by opening and closing the front cover 7 in a state where the process cartridge 20 is attached to the main body casing 2. Can be removed.

The housing 36 is formed in a box shape whose rear side is opened. Inside the housing 36, there are provided a partition wall 40, a toner storage chamber 41 and a developing chamber 42 as developer storage chambers partitioned by the partition wall 40.
The partition wall 40 is disposed in the middle of the casing 36 in the front-rear direction, and an opening 43 is formed in the middle of the vertical direction to partition the inside of the casing 36 in the front-rear direction.

  The toner storage chamber 41 is partitioned as an internal space on the front side of the housing 36 partitioned by the partition wall 40. In the toner storage chamber 41, positively charged nonmagnetic one-component toner is stored as a developer. In the toner, a polymerizable monomer, for example, a styrene monomer such as styrene, an acrylic monomer such as acrylic acid, alkyl (C1 to C4) acrylate, alkyl (C1 to C4) methacrylate, A polymerized toner obtained by copolymerization by suspension polymerization or the like is used. This polymerized toner has a substantially spherical shape, has extremely good fluidity, and can achieve high-quality image formation.

Such a toner is blended with a colorant such as carbon black, wax, and the like, and an external additive such as silica is added to improve fluidity. The average particle size of the toner is about 6 to 10 μm.
Further, the toner storage chamber 41 has one of side walls 88 that are opposed to each other in the width direction of the casing 36 that partitions the toner storage chamber 41 (a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the vertical direction; the same applies hereinafter). The side wall 88 is formed with a toner supply port for filling the toner, and the toner supply port is closed by the toner cap 35.

  In the toner storage chamber 41, toner detection windows 44 are formed on both side walls 88 of the housing 36 as windows for detecting the remaining amount of toner. The toner detection window 44 is formed in the vicinity of the partition wall 40 so as to face both side walls 88 of the housing 36 along the width direction. Each toner detection window 44 is formed by embedding a transparent disk in the side wall 88 of the housing 36.

  A toner empty sensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element (not shown) is provided outside the housing 36 facing each toner detection window 44. Detection light emitted from the light emitting element enters the toner storage chamber 41 from one toner detection window 44, passes through the toner storage chamber 41, exits from the other toner detection window 44, and is received by the light receiving element. Is done. The toner empty sensor measures the detection time of detection light that passes from one toner detection window 44 to the other toner detection window 44 while the toner in the toner storage chamber 41 is swept up by an agitator 45 described below. Thus, the remaining amount of toner in the toner storage chamber 41 is detected.

Further, an agitator 45 for agitating the toner is provided in the toner storage chamber 41. As will be described in detail later, the agitator 45 includes an agitator rotating shaft 46 and a stirring member 47.
The agitator rotating shaft 46 is rotatably supported on both side walls 88 of the housing 36 at substantially the center of the toner storage chamber 41, and the agitating member 47 is provided on the agitator rotating shaft 46. When a driving force from a motor (not shown) is input to the agitator rotating shaft 46, the agitator rotating shaft 46 is rotated, and the agitating member 47 moves in the toner containing chamber 41 in the circumferential direction around the agitator rotating shaft 46. . Then, the toner in the toner storage chamber 41 is agitated by the agitating member 47 and discharged toward the supply roller 37 from the opening 43 communicating in the front-rear direction in the middle of the partition wall 40 in the up-down direction.

  The agitator 45 is provided with a wiper 48 as a cleaning member. As will be described in detail later, the wiper 48 is attached to both ends of the agitator rotating shaft 46 in the axial direction via fixing members 49. When the agitator rotation shaft 46 rotates, each wiper 48 moves in the toner containing chamber 41 in the circumferential direction around the agitator rotation shaft 46, and each toner detection window 44 provided on both side walls 88 of the housing 36. Wipe away. As a result, each toner detection window 44 is cleaned by the wiper 48.

  The supply roller 37 is disposed behind the opening 43 in the toner storage chamber 42. The supply roller 37 includes a metal supply roller shaft 50 and a sponge roller 51 made of a conductive foam material that covers the supply roller shaft 50. The supply roller shaft 50 is rotatably supported on both side walls 88 of the housing 36 in the developing chamber 42. The supply roller 37 is rotationally driven when a driving force from a motor (not shown) is input to the supply roller shaft 50.

  The developing roller 38 is disposed behind the supply roller 37 in the toner storage chamber 42 and is provided in contact with the supply roller 37 so as to be compressed. The developing roller 38 includes a metallic developing roller shaft 52 and a rubber roller 53 made of a conductive rubber material that covers the developing roller shaft 52. The developing roller shaft 52 is rotatably supported on both side walls 88 of the housing 36 in the developing chamber 42. The rubber roller 53 is made of conductive urethane rubber or silicone rubber containing carbon fine particles, and the surface thereof is coated with a urethane rubber or silicone rubber coating layer containing fluorine. The developing roller 38 is rotationally driven when a driving force from a motor (not shown) is input to the developing roller shaft 52. A developing bias is applied to the developing roller 38 during development.

  The layer thickness regulating blade 39 includes a blade main body 54 made of a metal leaf spring material, and a pressing portion 55 having a semicircular cross section made of insulating silicone rubber provided at the free end of the blade main body 54. Yes. In this layer thickness regulating blade 39, the base end portion of the blade body 54 is supported by the housing 36 above the developing roller 38, so that the pressing portion 55 is pressed against the developing roller 38 by the elastic force of the blade body 54. ing.

  The toner released from the opening 43 is supplied to the developing roller 38 by the rotation of the supply roller 37, and at this time, the toner is triboelectrically charged between the supply roller 37 and the developing roller 38. The toner supplied onto the developing roller 38 enters between the pressing portion 55 of the layer thickness regulating blade 39 and the rubber roller 53 of the developing roller 38 as the developing roller 38 rotates, and forms a thin layer with a constant thickness. It is carried on the developing roller 38.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer roller 31 is provided below the photosensitive drum 28 in the drum frame 27, contacts the photosensitive drum 28 in the vertical direction, and forms a nip with the photosensitive drum 28. Are arranged as follows. The transfer roller 31 includes a metal transfer roller shaft 56 and a rubber roller 57 made of a conductive rubber material that covers the transfer roller shaft 56. The transfer roller shaft 56 is rotatably supported by the drum frame 27. The transfer roller 31 is rotationally driven by receiving a driving force from a motor (not shown). A transfer bias is applied to the transfer roller 31 at the time of transfer.

The cleaning unit 32 is attached to the drum frame 27, and is disposed opposite the photosensitive drum 28 on the rear side of the photosensitive drum 28. The cleaning unit 32 is disposed so as to face and contact the photosensitive drum 28, and includes a cleaning brush 58 for scraping off paper dust and the like attached to the photosensitive drum 28.
As the photosensitive drum 28 rotates, the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 is first uniformly charged to a positive polarity by the scorotron charger 29 and then exposed by high-speed scanning of the laser beam from the scanner unit 19. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image to be formed on the paper 3 is formed.

  Next, when the developing roller 38 rotates, the toner carried on the developing roller 38 and charged with positive polarity is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 when it comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 28. The electrostatic latent image, that is, the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 that is uniformly charged to the positive polarity, is supplied to the exposed portion exposed to a laser beam and having a lowered potential. As a result, the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 28 is visualized, and a toner image by reversal development is carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28.

Thereafter, the toner image carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 is transferred to the transfer roller 31 while the sheet 3 conveyed by the registration roller 15 passes through the transfer position between the photosensitive drum 28 and the transfer roller 31. Is transferred to the sheet 3 by the transfer bias applied to the sheet 3. The sheet 3 on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 21.
Note that the transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 28 after the transfer is collected by the developing roller 38. Further, paper dust from the paper 3 adhering to the photosensitive drum 28 after the transfer is collected by the cleaning brush 58 of the cleaning unit 32.

(C) Fixing Unit The fixing unit 21 is provided on the rear side of the process cartridge 20, and includes a fixing frame 59, and a heating roller 60 and a pressure roller 61 in the fixing frame 59.
The heating roller 60 includes a metal tube whose surface is coated with a fluororesin and a halogen lamp for heating inserted in the metal tube. The heating roller 60 is rotationally driven by inputting a driving force from a motor (not shown).

The pressure roller 61 is disposed opposite the heating roller 60 so as to press the heating roller 60. The pressure roller 61 includes a metal roller shaft and a rubber roller made of a rubber material that covers the roller shaft. The pressure roller 61 is driven according to the rotational drive of the heating roller 60.
In the fixing unit 21, the toner image transferred onto the paper 3 at the transfer position is thermally fixed while the paper 3 passes between the heating roller 60 and the pressure roller 61. The sheet 3 on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed toward a paper discharge tray 62 formed on the upper surface of the main casing 2.

The paper discharge side transport path of the sheet 3 from the fixing unit 21 to the paper discharge tray 62 is folded back to the front side in a substantially U shape from the fixing unit 21. In the discharge side transfer path, a transfer roller 63 is provided in the middle, and a discharge roller 64 is provided at the downstream end.
The sheet 3 heat-fixed in the fixing unit 21 is conveyed to the sheet discharge side conveyance path, conveyed to the sheet discharge roller 64 by the conveyance roller 63, and then discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 62 by the sheet discharge roller 64. The
2. 3 is a perspective view of the agitator, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the agitator, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the axial end of the agitator (before the wiper is assembled), FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the axial end of the agitator (after the wiper is assembled), and FIG. 9 is the axial end of the agitator. FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the axial end portion of the agitator, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the assembly of the wiper. Next, the agitator 45 and the wiper 48 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 11.

(1) Configuration of Agitator As shown in FIG. 3, the agitator 45 includes the agitator rotating shaft 46, the agitating member 47 and the fixing member 49, and the light shielding plate 89 and the guide plate 90.
The agitating member 47 includes a film support member 65 extending from the agitator rotation shaft 46 to the radially outward one side, and a film 66 attached to the film support member 65.

The film support member 65 includes a plurality of connecting rods 68 provided at intervals in the axial direction of the agitator rotating shaft 46, and a film supporting rod 69 connected to the agitator rotating shaft 46 via the connecting rod 68. .
The base end of each connecting rod 68 is connected to the agitator rotating shaft 46 so as to extend radially outward from the agitator rotating shaft 46.

The film support rod 69 extends in parallel with the agitator rotating shaft 46 at a distance, and the free ends of the connection rods 68 are connected. Thereby, the agitator rotating shaft 46, each connecting rod 68 and the film supporting rod 69 are connected in a ladder shape.
The base end of the film 66 is stuck to the film support rod 69 over the axial direction of the agitator rotating shaft 46. As shown in FIG. 4, the film 66 has an inclined piece 70 whose free end portion is inclined inward in the width direction at both ends in the width direction (the same as the axial direction of the agitator rotating shaft 46). In the central part sandwiched between both end parts, the free end part is shorter than the inclined piece 70 and is divided into a rectangular piece 71 that is formed straight in the width direction, and is attached to the film support rod 69.

As shown in FIG. 3, the film 66 is attached to the film support rod 69 at a predetermined angle (obtuse angle) with respect to the direction in which each connecting rod 68 extends.
As shown in FIG. 4, the light shielding plate 89 is formed integrally with the connecting rod 68 on the inner side of the outermost connecting rod 68 in the width direction at one axial end portion of the agitator rotating shaft 46. As shown in FIG. 3, the light shielding plate 89 has a plate shape extending in the rotational direction of the agitator 45, and shields the detection light of the toner empty sensor at a constant interval to improve the detection accuracy of the remaining amount of toner. Is provided.

  The guide plate 90 is provided so as to extend from the agitator rotating shaft 46 to the other radially outer side. The guide plate 90 has a substantially rectangular plate shape with a uniform thickness, and is formed so as to extend in a direction opposite to the extending direction of the connecting rods 68 at the axial center of the agitator rotating shaft 46. The guide plate 90 is provided to make the toner distribution in the toner storage chamber 41 uniform in the width direction of the toner storage chamber 41 when the agitator 45 is agitated, and toward the both sides of the toner storage chamber 41 in the width direction. Scatter the toner so that it flows.

The fixing members 49 are provided at both ends of the agitator rotating shaft 46 in the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 7, each fixing member 49 is integrally provided with a support plate 72 as a first plate portion, a clamping plate 73 as a second plate portion, a connecting wall 74, and a regulating plate 75.
The support plate 72 has a substantially rectangular plate shape in plan view, and is disposed at an axial end portion of the agitator rotation shaft 46 with a gap in the axial direction of the guide plate 90 and the agitator rotation shaft 46 (see FIG. 4). The connecting rod 68 is formed to extend in a direction opposite to the extending direction.

  The support plate 72 has an extending direction in which the support plate 72 extends from the agitator rotation shaft 46 (the “extension direction” is the free end of the support plate 72 from the base end side where the support plate 72 is connected to the agitator rotation shaft 46. Including both the direction toward the end side and the direction from the free end side toward the base end side.) On the way, the wiper 48 is inserted into the portion where the clamping plate 73 faces as shown in FIG. From the downstream end in the direction (same as the axially inner end of the agitator rotating shaft 46) to the upstream side in the insertion direction (same as the axially outer side of the agitator rotating shaft 46) A first cutout 76 is formed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, a boss 78 as a protrusion protruding toward the inner side in the opposite direction to the sandwiching plate 73 is formed in the central portion 77 of the support plate 72 surrounded by the first notch 76. Is erected.
The boss 78 is disposed at the upstream end of the central portion 77 in the insertion direction, and the tip of the boss 78 is directed toward the inner side in the direction facing the clamping plate 73 from the upstream side in the insertion direction of the wiper 48 toward the downstream side. An inclined surface 86 is formed as an inclined portion that is inclined so as to extend.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sandwiching plate 73 faces the support plate 72 with an interval (interval corresponding to the thickness of the wiper 48) from the middle of the extending direction of the support plate 72 to the free end portion. Has been placed.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the sandwiching plate 73 is formed in a substantially U shape in a plan view substantially the same shape as the first notch 76 at a portion facing the first notch 76. A second notch 79 surrounded by the sandwiching plate 73 is formed in a portion facing the central portion 77 of 72.

Further, in the sandwiching plate 73, a portion extending in the extending direction on the upstream side in the insertion direction of the second notch 79 is a pressing plate 80 for preventing the wiper 48 from being lifted.
The connecting walls 74 are spaced apart from each other in the extending direction (interval corresponding to the width of the wiper 48) so as to connect the both ends of the holding plate 73 in the extending direction and the support plate 72, and are parallel to the insertion direction. Are arranged. Each connecting wall 74 connects the both ends of the holding plate 73 in the extending direction and the support plate 72 facing the both ends.

Accordingly, the fixing member 49 is formed with a slit 81 into which the wiper 48 is inserted, which is surrounded by the support plate 72, the sandwiching plate 73, and each connection wall 74.
The restriction plate 75 is provided in the extending direction at the downstream end of the support plate 72 in the insertion direction. The regulating plate 75 is formed so as to protrude inward in the facing direction of the sandwiching plate 73 from the support plate 72, and the support plate 72 and the sandwiching plate 73 are sandwiched between the support plate 72 and the sandwiching plate 73. The plate 73 is connected.

Further, the restricting plate 75 is provided with a jig insertion portion 82 that is notched so that a gap is formed along the extending direction in a portion continuous with the central portion 77 of the support plate 72. The support plate 72 that is continuous with the jig insertion portion 82 is formed with a U-shaped recess 83 in a plan view.
In the agitator 45, the agitator rotating shaft 46, the film support member 65 of the stirring member 47, the fixing member 49, the light shielding plate 89, and the guide plate 90 are integrally formed from a hard resin such as ABS resin, for example. The film 66 is made of a flexible resin film such as polyethylene terephthalate.

(2) Configuration of Wiper As shown in FIG. 7, the wiper 48 has a substantially rectangular plate shape in plan view, and is formed of a flexible elastic member such as urethane rubber.
The wiper 48 has a width (width in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction and thickness direction) substantially the same as the opening width of the fixing member 49 in the extending direction of the slit 81 (see FIG. 6). The thickness of the slit 81 of the fixing member 49 is substantially the same as the opening width of the support plate 72 and the clamping plate 73 facing each other (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The fixing member 49 is longer than the depth of the slit 81 in the insertion direction (about twice as long, see FIGS. 5 and 8).

The wiper 48 has a through-hole 84 having a circular cross section as a receiving portion for receiving the boss 78 at a position facing the boss 78 in a state where the wiper 48 is inserted into the slit 81 of the fixing member 49. Is formed.
(3) Assembly and Removal of Wiper from Fixing Member Next, assembly of the wiper 48 to the fixing member 49 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8 and 11.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7, the wiper 48 is opposed to the slit 81 of the fixing member 49, and the wiper 48 is inserted into the slit 81 as it is. Then, as shown in FIG. 11A, the downstream end of the wiper 48 in the insertion direction passes between the support plate 72 and the pressing plate 80 of the holding plate 73 and then comes into contact with the boss 78. When further inserted, the wiper 48 bends as shown in FIG. 11B, the downstream end of the wiper 48 in the insertion direction gets over the boss 78, and as shown in FIG. 75, the movement of the wiper 48 to the downstream side in the insertion direction is restricted. The boss 78 is received in the through hole 84 so as to be inserted in the thickness direction of the wiper 48. In the received state, the wiper 48 is sandwiched between the support plate 72 and the sandwiching plate 73. Thus, the wiper 48 is assembled to the fixing member 49.

In the state where the wiper 48 is assembled to the fixing member 49, as shown in FIG. 8, the boss 78 is inserted into the through-hole 84, so that the wiper 48 is restricted from being pulled out from the fixing member 49. Further, the lifting of the wiper 48 from the support plate 72 is restricted by the presser plate 80. As a result, the wiper 48 is fixed to the fixing member 49.
On the other hand, when the wiper 48 is removed from the fixing member 49, as shown in FIG. 11C, a sharp needle-like jig 85 indicated by an imaginary line is inserted from the jig insertion portion 82 into the wiper 48 insertion direction. The downstream end of the wiper 48 is inserted between the downstream end and the recess 83 of the support plate 72, and the downstream end of the wiper 48 in the insertion direction is peeled off from the support plate 72 as indicated by a virtual line. Then, since the boss 78 can be removed from the through hole 84, the wiper 48 can be removed from the fixing member 49 by subsequently pulling the wiper 48 out of the slit 81 of the fixing member 49.

(4) Effect of agitator and wiper As described above, in this agitator 45, the wiper 48 is fixed to the fixing member 49 by being inserted into the slit 81 of the fixing member 49, and the agitator 45 is connected to the agitator 45 via the fixing member 49. The stirring member 47 is fixed. The fixing member 49 is formed integrally with the stirring member 47. Therefore, fixing of the wiper 48 to the stirring member 47 is realized by simple assembly while eliminating the need for special parts such as a double-sided tape and a push nut for fixing the wiper 48 and the stirring member 47. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced and the efficiency of the assembling work can be improved. Moreover, since the wiper 48 is being fixed to the fixing member 49 by the insertion with respect to the slit 81, it can remove easily and can improve recyclability.

The wiper 48 is inserted between the support plate 72 and the sandwiching plate 73 and is sandwiched between them. Therefore, the wiper 48 can be reliably fixed with a simple configuration.
Further, in a portion where the wiper 48 is inserted between the support plate 72 and the holding plate 73, the support plate 72 is formed with a first notch 76 that faces the holding plate 73, and the holding plate 73 has a support plate 72. The 2nd notch part 79 facing is formed. That is, since only one of the support plate 72 and the sandwiching plate 73 is formed at the opposing portion of the support plate 72 and the sandwiching plate 73 into which the wiper 48 is inserted, when forming the support plate 72 and the sandwiching plate 73, Die cutting is easy, and the support plate 72 and the clamping plate 73 can be easily molded. Further, at the time of recycling, the toner mixed in the slit 81 can be easily cleaned.

When the wiper 48 is inserted into the slit 81 of the fixing member 49, the boss 78 is inserted into the through hole 84 of the wiper 48. Therefore, stronger fixing of the wiper 48 to the fixing member 49, and hence the stirring member 47 can be realized.
The inclined surface 86 of the boss 78 is formed so as to extend inward in the opposing direction of the support plate 72 and the sandwiching plate 73 from the upstream side in the insertion direction of the wiper 48 toward the downstream side.

  Therefore, in assembling the wiper 48 to the fixing member 49, when the wiper 48 is inserted from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the insertion direction, the wiper 48 is guided along the inclination direction of the inclined surface 86 of the boss 78. After that, the boss 78 is inserted into the through hole 84 of the wiper 48. Therefore, smooth assembly work can be realized.

On the other hand, after the boss 78 is inserted into the through hole 84 of the wiper 48, the inclination direction of the inclined surface 86 of the boss 78 is opposite to the extraction of the wiper 48. And secure fixing can be realized.
Further, in the state where the wiper 48 is assembled to the fixing member 49, the presser plate 80 restricts the wiper 48 from being lifted from the support plate 72, so that the boss 78 is removed from the through hole 84 of the wiper 48. It is definitely prevented. For this reason, the wiper 48 can be firmly fixed.

Further, when the wiper 48 is attached to the fixing member 49, the movement of the wiper 48 to the downstream side in the insertion direction is restricted by the restriction plate 75. Therefore, excessive insertion of the wiper 48 can be prevented, and the wiper 48 can be reliably positioned and fixed.
Further, when removing the wiper 48 from the fixing member 49, the wiper 48 can be easily peeled off from the support plate 72 by inserting the jig 85 into the jig insertion part 82. Therefore, the recycling can be facilitated.

  Further, since the wiper 48 is formed of a flexible elastic member such as urethane rubber, when the wiper 48 is assembled and removed from the fixing member 49, the wiper 48 is easily bent and the boss 78 is inserted into the through hole 84. Alternatively, the boss 78 can be removed from the through hole 84. As a result, it can be easily inserted into the slit 81, the efficiency of the assembling work can be improved, and the slit 81 can be easily pulled out, thereby improving the recyclability.

Since the developing cartridge 30 is reduced in the number of parts and the efficiency of assembling work as described above, the process cartridge 20 including such a developing cartridge 30 and further the process The laser printer 1 including the cartridge 20 can reduce costs and facilitate recycling.
The developing cartridge 30 employs a configuration in which the wiper 48 is fixed by being inserted into the slit 81 of the fixing member 49 in the toner storage chamber 41, and thus has the following excellent effects. That is, although toner is stored in the toner storage chamber 41, according to the above configuration, since a special part such as a double-sided tape is not necessary, a special case such as a double-sided tape is used for the toner used for development. It is possible to prevent impurities due to these parts from being mixed. Further, the chemical reaction between the adhesive layer of the double-sided tape and the toner can be prevented.

(5) Modification In the above-described embodiment, the developing cartridge 30 is detachably attached to the drum frame 27 to form the process cartridge 20, and the process cartridge 20 is detachably attached to the main casing 2. The image forming apparatus of the present invention does not have, for example, the drum frame 27, and the main body casing 2 is provided with the photosensitive drum 28, the scorotron charger 29, the transfer roller 31, the cleaning unit 32, and the like, and the main body casing 2 has the developing cartridge 30. The thing which attaches detachably is also included.

In the above-described embodiment, the support plate 72 is provided with the boss 78 and the holding plate 73 is provided with the pressing plate 80. However, the holding plate 73 is provided with the boss 78 and the support plate 72 is provided with the pressing plate 80. You can also.
In the above-described embodiment, the through hole 84 for inserting the boss 78 is formed in the wiper 48. However, the receiving portion of the present invention allows the boss 78 to be inserted in the thickness direction of the wiper 48. If it can be received, not only the through hole 84 but also a notch 87 penetrating through the thickness direction of a substantially U shape in plan view as shown in FIG. Even with such a cut 87, the boss 78 can be received so as to be inserted in the thickness direction of the wiper 48 as shown in FIG.

  In the above-described embodiment, the thickness of the guide plate 90 of the agitator 45 is made uniform. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the central portion of the guide plate 90 (the central portion in the axial direction of the agitator rotating shaft 46). ) To the both ends in the width direction (the axially outer end of the agitator rotating shaft 46), the plate thickness decreases. When the agitator 45 is agitated, the surface that scrapes the toner is It can also be formed as an inclined surface that is disposed on the upstream side of the agitator 45 in the rotational direction and that both ends in the width direction of the guide plate 90 are disposed on the downstream side of the agitator 45 in the rotational direction.

By forming the guide plate 90 in this way, the toner can be guided so that the toner flows more smoothly toward both sides in the width direction of the toner storage chamber 41, and the distribution of the toner in the toner storage chamber 41 can be achieved. Can be made more uniform in the width direction of the toner storage chamber 41.
In the agitator 45 of FIG. 13, the film 66 and the wiper 48 are omitted.

1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a laser printer as an image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a developing cartridge of the laser printer shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view of an agitator. It is a top view of an agitator. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view of the axial direction edge part (state before assembly | attachment of a wiper) of an agitator. It is a perspective view of the axial direction edge part (state after assembly | attachment of a wiper) of an agitator. It is a top view of the axial direction edge part of an agitator. It is a bottom view of the axial direction edge part of an agitator. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the assembly | attachment of a wiper, Comprising: (a) is the state immediately after insertion with respect to the slit of a wiper, (b) is the state in the middle of insertion with respect to the slit of a wiper, (c) is a slit of a wiper. Indicates the state of insertion completion for. It is other embodiment of a wiper, Comprising: (a) is a top view of the wiper, (b) is sectional drawing of the state in which the wiper was assembled | attached to the fixing member. It is a perspective view of the agitator in which other embodiment of a guide plate is provided. A conventional agitator, wherein (a) is a perspective view of an axial end portion of the agitator (before the wiper is assembled), and (b) is a perspective view of an axial end portion (after the wiper is assembled) of the agitator. It is.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser printer 3 Recording medium 20 Process cartridge 21 Fixing part 28 Photosensitive drum 30 Developing cartridge 38 Developing roller 41 Toner storage chamber 44 Toner detection window 45 Agitator 48 Wiper 49 Fixing member 72 Support plate 73 Holding plate 75 Restriction plate 78 Boss 80 Press Plate 81 Slit 82 Jig insertion part 84 Through hole 85 Jig 86 Inclined surface

Claims (12)

A developer storage chamber for storing the developer;
A window for detecting the amount of developer accommodated in the developer accommodating chamber;
A cleaning member for cleaning the window;
A stirring member for stirring the developer stored in the developer storage chamber;
A slit provided in the stirring member, into which the cleaning member is inserted, and a fixing member for fixing the cleaning member by inserting the cleaning member into the slit;
The fixing member includes a first plate portion and a second plate portion arranged to face each other with the cleaning member inserted therebetween,
One of the first plate portion and the second plate portion is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes inward in the opposing direction of the first plate portion and the second plate portion,
The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is formed with a receiving portion that receives the protruding portion so that the protruding portion is inserted in a thickness direction of the cleaning member . Said first plate portion and the second plate portion in the opposing portion of the cleaning member is inserted, in their opposing direction, characterized in that only one is formed, according to claim 1 Developer cartridge. The projecting portion is provided with an inclined portion extending inward in the facing direction of the first plate portion and the second plate portion from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the insertion direction of the cleaning member. The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The other first plate portion or the second plate portion is provided with a pressing plate for preventing the cleaning member from being lifted from the first plate portion or the second plate portion. The developing cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the developing cartridge is characterized. Wherein the fixing member is in the insertion direction downstream side end portion of the cleaning member, wherein the regulating plate for regulating the movement in the insertion direction downstream side of the cleaning member is provided, it claims 1 4 The developing cartridge according to any one of the above. The regulation plate is provided with a jig insertion portion through which a jig for separating the cleaning member from one of the first plate portion or the second plate portion is inserted. Item 6. The developing cartridge according to Item 5 . The cleaning member is characterized by comprising a flexible, resilient member, the developing cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A developing cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The developer cartridge includes a developer carrier that carries the developer supplied from the developer storage chamber,
An image carrier that is disposed opposite to the developer carrier and carries an electrostatic latent image that is visualized as a developer image upon supply of the developer from the developer carrier; Features
Process cartridge. A process cartridge according to claim 8 ,
An image forming apparatus comprising: fixing means for fixing the developer image to a recording medium onto which the developer image carried on the image carrier is transferred. A developing cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The developer cartridge includes a developer carrier that carries the developer supplied from the developer storage chamber,
An image carrier that is disposed opposite to the developer carrier and carries an electrostatic latent image that is visualized as a developer image upon supply of the developer from the developer carrier; Features
Image forming apparatus.   A developer storage chamber for storing the developer;
  A window for detecting the amount of developer accommodated in the developer accommodating chamber;
  A cleaning member for cleaning the window;
  A stirring member for stirring the developer stored in the developer storage chamber;
  A fixing member for fixing the cleaning member by being inserted into the slit of the cleaning member provided in the stirring member, the slit into which the cleaning member is inserted;
With
  The fixing member includes a first plate portion and a second plate portion arranged to face each other with the cleaning member inserted therebetween,
  The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein only one of the first plate portion and the second plate portion is formed in the facing direction of the cleaning member to be inserted in the facing direction.   A developer storage chamber for storing the developer;
  A window for detecting the amount of developer accommodated in the developer accommodating chamber;
  A cleaning member for cleaning the window;
  A stirring member for stirring the developer stored in the developer storage chamber;
  A fixing member for fixing the cleaning member by being inserted into the slit of the cleaning member provided in the stirring member, the slit into which the cleaning member is inserted;
With
  The fixing member is
    A first plate portion and a second plate portion disposed to face each other across the cleaning member to be inserted;
    A regulating plate provided at the downstream end of the cleaning member in the insertion direction and restricting movement of the cleaning member to the downstream side in the insertion direction;
  The restriction plate is provided with a jig insertion portion through which a jig for separating the cleaning member from one of the first plate portion or the second plate portion is inserted. cartridge.

Images