JP4886127B2 - Cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or an electrophotographic printer.Arrive atRemovableMosquitoCartridgePowerThe present invention relates to a child photo image forming apparatus.
[0002]
Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming process.
[0003]
For example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (such as an LED printer or a laser beam printer), an electrophotographic facsimile apparatus, and an electrophotographic word processor are included.
[0004]
Here, the process cartridge is a cartridge in which at least one of a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive drum as an image carrier are integrally formed, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. To do. In the developing device, the toner container and the developing means are integrated into a cartridge, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus.
[0005]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a process cartridge system has been adopted in which an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging unit, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, and the like are integrated into a cartridge and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body.
[0006]
The operability is further improved by this cartridge system, and the user can easily perform maintenance of the process means. Therefore, this cartridge system is widely used in the image forming apparatus main body.
[0007]
In addition, a cartridge configuration is realized in which the process means is divided into those having a long life and those having a short life, each process means is made into a cartridge, and can be used according to the life of the main process means. For example, a developing cartridge in which a toner container and a developing unit are integrally formed, or a drum cartridge in which an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging unit, and a cleaning unit are integrally formed are employed.
[0008]
In recent years, the demand for color electrophotographic image forming apparatuses capable of forming color images has increased.
(1) Low running cost
(2) Small space
(3) Low power
(4) High image quality
(5) High speed
(6) Improved operability
It is expected to introduce a color image forming apparatus that can achieve these six items.
[0009]
Among them, (6) while simplifying operability, (5) high speed and (4) a technique for providing a high-quality color image, a color image forming apparatus is provided with yellow, There is a system that uses four process cartridges of magenta, cyan, and black to form four photosensitive drums in parallel to form an image, thereby improving operability and increasing the speed. This system is called a tandem or 4-drum system color image forming apparatus.
[0010]
In the tandem type color image forming apparatus as described above, it is necessary to arrange four process cartridges adjacent to each other. Therefore, the size of the cartridge is required to be small so as not to enlarge the entire image forming apparatus. In addition, there is a case where a handle is provided on the top of the cartridge so that the user can easily handle the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body or when the cartridge has reached the end of its life.
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to further improve the usability of cartridge replacement described above. In particular, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which a cartridge is mounted and replaced from the longitudinal direction by a tandem method, the operability of cartridge replacement is improved.Rukoaimed to.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  A typical configuration of the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.It is as follows.
[0013]
  In a cartridge detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a cartridge frame and a handle provided along an attaching / detaching direction for attaching / detaching the cartridge to / from the main body, the axis being orthogonal to the attaching / detaching direction. A front member that is coupled to the cartridge frame so as to be rotatable, and a slide that is provided on the upstream side of the front member in the mounting direction in which the cartridge is mounted on the main body and slides in the attachment / detachment direction. When the cartridge is attached to and detached from the main body, which is provided between a slide portion that can be coupled, and the front member and the slide portion, and is connected to the front member and the slide portion via a bendable hinge portion. A handle having a grip portion gripped on the cartridge frame, and the cartridge frame so as to cover the slide portion from above the handle. Mounted in, a handle retainer having a guide portion for movably supporting the slide unit, the cartridge frame at the bottom of the handle holdingIn the vertical directionAnd a handle presser having the engaging portion to be engaged.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the longitudinal direction is a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 52 and is the same as the axial direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as the photosensitive drum 2). Further, left and right are left and right as viewed from the conveyance direction of the recording medium 52. Further, upper and lower are upper and lower in the mounted state of the cartridge.
[0017]
[Overall Description of Image Forming Apparatus]
First, the overall configuration of the color electrophotographic image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
[0018]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration of a color laser beam printer which is an embodiment of a color toner image forming apparatus.
[0019]
The image forming unit of this color laser beam printer includes four process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) having a photosensitive drum 2 as an image carrier, and this process. Above the cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C and 1K, exposure means 51Y, 51M, 51C and 51K (laser beam optical scanning systems) corresponding to the respective colors are arranged in parallel.
[0020]
Below the image forming section, a feeding means 53 for feeding the recording medium 52, an intermediate transfer belt 54a for transferring a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 2, and a toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 54a are recorded on the recording medium. A secondary transfer roller 54d for transferring to 52 is disposed.
[0021]
Further, fixing means for fixing the toner image to the transferred recording medium 52 and discharging means for discharging and stacking the recording medium 52 outside the apparatus main body are arranged.
[0022]
Here, the recording medium 52 is, for example, paper, an OHP sheet, or cloth.
[0023]
The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is an apparatus of a cleanerless system. The transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 2 is taken into the developing unit, and a dedicated cleaner for collecting and storing the transfer residual toner is a process cartridge 1Y, It is not arranged in 1M, 1C, 1K.
[0024]
Next, the configuration of each part of the image forming apparatus will be sequentially described in detail.
[0025]
[Paper Feeder]
The paper feeding unit feeds the recording medium 52 to the image forming unit, and includes a feeding cassette 53a in which a plurality of recording media 52 are stacked and stored, a feeding roller 53b, a double feed preventing retard roller 53c, It is mainly composed of a feeding guide 53d and a registration roller 53g.
[0026]
The feeding roller 53b is driven and rotated according to the image forming operation, and separates and feeds the recording medium 52 in the feeding cassette 53a one by one. The recording medium 52 is guided by the feeding guide 53d and is conveyed to the registration roller 53g via the conveyance rollers 53e and 53f.
[0027]
Immediately after the recording medium 52 is conveyed, the registration roller 53g stops rotating, and the recording medium 52 is corrected to be skewed by hitting the nip portion.
[0028]
During the image forming operation, the registration roller 53g performs a non-rotating operation for causing the recording medium 52 to stand still and a rotating operation for conveying the recording medium 52 toward the intermediate transfer belt 54a in a predetermined sequence. The toner image and the recording medium 52 in a certain transfer process are aligned.
[0029]
[Process cartridge]
The process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are integrally configured by arranging a charging unit and a developing unit around the photosensitive drum 2 that is an image carrier. The process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K can be easily removed from the apparatus main body 100 by the user and replaced when the photosensitive drum 2 reaches the end of its life.
[0030]
In the present embodiment, for example, the number of rotations of the photosensitive drum 2 is counted, and when the predetermined count number is exceeded, notification is made that the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K have reached the end of their lives. .
[0031]
The photosensitive drum 2 of the present embodiment is a negatively charged organic photosensitive member, and has a commonly used photosensitive layer on an aluminum drum base having a diameter of about 30 mm, and a charge injection layer is provided on the outermost layer. Yes. Then, it is rotationally driven at a predetermined process speed, in this embodiment, about 117 mm / sec.
[0032]
The charge injection layer is made of, for example, SnO as conductive fine particles in an insulating resin binder.₂A coating layer made of a material in which ultrafine particles are dispersed is used.
[0033]
As shown in FIG. 4, a drum flange 2b is fixed to the back end of the photosensitive drum 2, and a non-drive flange 2d is fixed to the front end. The drum shaft 2a passes through the center of the drum flange 2b and the non-drive flange 2d, and the drum shaft 2a, the drum flange 2b, and the non-drive flange 2d are rotated together. That is, the photosensitive drum 2 is rotated around the drum shaft 2a.
[0034]
The front end of the drum shaft 2a is rotatably supported by the bearing 2e, and the bearing 2e is fixed to the bearing case 2c. The bearing case 2c is fixed to the frame 1a of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K.
[0035]
[Charging means]
The charging means uses a contact charging method. In the present embodiment, the charging roller 3a is used as the charging member.
[0036]
As shown in FIG. 2, the charging roller 3a holds both ends of the cored bar 3b rotatably by bearing members (not shown) and urges the photosensitive drum 2 in the direction of the photosensitive drum 2 by a pressing spring 3d. 2 is brought into pressure contact with a surface with a predetermined pressing force, and is rotated by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 2.
[0037]
Reference numeral 3c denotes a charging roller cleaning member, which is a flexible cleaning film 3e in the present embodiment. The cleaning film 3e is arranged in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the charging roller 3a and is fixed at one end to a support member 3f that reciprocates at a fixed stroke in the longitudinal direction. It is arranged to form a contact nip. The supporting member 3f is reciprocated by a predetermined stroke in the longitudinal direction by a driving means (not shown), and the surface of the charging roller 3a is rubbed with the cleaning film 3e. Thereby, the deposits (fine toner, external additives, etc.) on the surface of the charging roller 3a are removed.
[0038]
The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment employs a cleanerless system. This cleanerless system will be described.
[0039]
[Cleanerless system]
The outline of the cleanerless system in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment will be described first. The transfer residual toner on the photosensitive drum 2 after transfer is passed through the charging unit a and the exposure unit b as the photosensitive drum 2 continues to rotate. It is carried to the developing unit c and is simultaneously cleaned (collected) by the developing device 4.
[0040]
Since the untransferred toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 passes through the exposure portion b, the exposure process is performed from the untransferred toner. However, since the amount of the untransferred toner is small, no significant influence appears.
[0041]
However, the transfer residual toner includes normal polarity, reverse polarity (reversal toner), and low charge amount, and when the reverse toner or the low charge amount toner passes through the charging portion a. As a result of adhering to the charging roller 3a, the charging roller 3a contaminates the toner more than allowable, resulting in poor charging.
[0042]
Further, in order to effectively perform the simultaneous cleaning of the transfer residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 by the developing device 4, the charged polarity of the transfer residual toner on the photosensitive drum 2 carried to the developing unit c is a normal polarity. In addition, the charge amount needs to be a charge amount that can develop the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 2 by the developing device 4. Reversal toner and transfer residual toner with an inappropriate charge amount cannot be removed and collected from the photosensitive drum 2 to the developing device 4, which causes a defective image.
[0043]
In addition, with the diversification of user needs in recent years, a large amount of untransferred toner is generated at a time due to continuous printing operations such as images with a high printing rate such as photographic images, which further promote the above-described problems. It is.
[0044]
Therefore, in this embodiment, the transfer residual toner (residual developer) for making the transfer residual toner on the photosensitive drum 2 uniform at a position downstream of the transfer portion d in the movement direction of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 2. Image) Uniform means 3g is provided, and the transfer residual toner uniform means 3g is located downstream in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 2 and at a position upstream of the charging portion a in the movement direction of the peripheral surface due to the rotation of the photosensitive drum 2. There is provided toner (developer) charge control means 3h for making the charge polarity of the transfer residual toner the negative polarity which is the normal polarity.
[0045]
By providing the transfer residual toner uniforming means 3g, even if the transfer residual toner on the pattern on the photosensitive drum 2 carried from the transfer part d to the toner charge control means 3h is large in toner amount, the transfer residual toner can be exposed to light. Since the toner 2 is distributed and non-patterned on the surface of the drum 2, the transfer residual toner is not concentrated on a part of the toner charge control means 3h, and the entire transfer residual toner by the toner charge control means 3h is prevented. The normal polarity charging process is always sufficiently performed to effectively prevent the transfer residual toner from adhering to the charging roller 3a. Further, the occurrence of a ghost image of the transfer residual toner image pattern is also prevented.
[0046]
In the present embodiment, the transfer residual toner uniformizing means 3g and the toner charge control means 3h are brush-like members having appropriate conductivity, and are arranged in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 2. .
[0047]
These means move (reciprocate) in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 2 by a drive source (not shown). By doing so, the transfer residual toner uniform means 3g and the toner charge control means 3h do not continue to be located at the same place on the photosensitive drum 2, and for example, an overcharge portion or a charge due to uneven resistance of the toner charge control means 3h. Even if there is an insufficient part, it does not always occur on the same surface of the photosensitive drum 2, and therefore, a fusion occurs on the photosensitive drum 2 due to the overcharge of the minimal transfer residual toner, and charging occurs due to insufficient charging. The transfer residual toner adheres to the roller 3a is prevented or alleviated.
[0048]
[Exposure means]
In the present embodiment, the exposure to the photosensitive drum 2 is performed using laser exposure means 51Y, 51M, 51C, 51K. That is, when an image signal is sent from the apparatus main body 100, the laser beam L modulated in accordance with this signal is scanned and exposed on the uniformly charged surface of the photosensitive drum 2. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is selectively formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.
[0049]
The laser exposure means 51Y, 51M, 51C and 51K are composed of a solid-state laser element (not shown), a polygon mirror 51a, an imaging lens 51b, a reflection mirror 51c, and the like. Based on the input image signal, the solid-state laser element is controlled to emit light ON / OFF at a predetermined timing by a light emission signal generator (not shown). Laser light L emitted from the solid-state laser element is converted into a substantially parallel light beam by a collimator lens system (not shown) and scanned by a polygon mirror 51a that rotates at high speed. Then, the image is formed in a spot shape on the photosensitive drum 2 through the imaging lens 51b and the reflection mirror 51c.
[0050]
In this way, the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 is exposed in the main scanning direction by scanning with the laser beam L, and further exposed in the sub-scanning direction by rotating the photosensitive drum 2, thereby obtaining an exposure distribution according to the image signal. It is done.
[0051]
That is, a bright portion potential with a lowered surface potential and a dark portion potential with no surface potential are formed by irradiation and non-irradiation of the laser beam L. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed by the contrast between the bright part potential and the dark part potential.
[0052]
[Development means]
The developing device 4 that is a developing means is a two-component contact developing device (two-component magnetic brush developing device), and as shown in FIG. 2, a carrier is placed on a developing sleeve 4a that is a developer carrying member including a magnet roller 4b. And a developer composed of toner. The developing sleeve 4a is provided with a regulating blade 4c having a predetermined gap, and a thin layer of developer is formed on the developing sleeve 4a as the developing sleeve 4a rotates in the arrow direction b.
[0053]
As shown in FIG. 4, the developing sleeve 4a is disposed so as to have a predetermined gap with the photosensitive drum 2 by rotatably engaging the spacer 4k with the journal portions 4a1 having reduced diameters on both sides thereof. Is set so that the developer formed on the developing sleeve 4a can be developed in contact with the photosensitive drum 2. The developing sleeve 4a is driven to rotate at a predetermined peripheral speed in the counterclockwise direction B, which is the same as the rotational direction A of the photosensitive drum 2, in the developing section c (see FIG. 2). That is, the moving directions of the peripheral surfaces of the developing sleeve 4b and the photosensitive drum 2 are opposite to each other.
[0054]
The toner used in this embodiment is a negatively charged toner having an average particle diameter of 6 μm, and the magnetic carrier has a saturation magnetization of 205 emu / cm.^ThreeA magnetic carrier having an average particle size of 35 μm was used. Further, a mixture of toner and carrier at a weight ratio of 6:94 is used as a developer.
[0055]
The developer accommodating portion 4h in which the developer circulates is divided into two by a longitudinal partition 4d except for both ends. And stirring screw 4eA, 4eB is arrange | positioned on both sides of this partition 4d.
[0056]
As shown in FIG. 4, the toner replenished from the toner replenishing container 5 (5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K) falls to the back side of the stirring screw 4eB and is sent to the front side in the longitudinal direction (c). It is stirred and passes through the part without the partition 4d at the front end. At that time, the toner moves to the agitating screw 4eA side, and is further fed by the agitating screw 4eA further to the back side in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction d), passing through the part without the partition 4d on the far side and being agitated while being sent by the agitating screw 4eB. Has been repeated circulation.
[0057]
Here, a developing process for visualizing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 by the two-component magnetic brush method using the developing device 4 and a developer circulation system will be described.
[0058]
With the rotation of the developing sleeve 4a, the developer in the developing container 4f is pumped to the surface of the developing sleeve 4a by the pumping pole of the magnet roller 4b and conveyed.
[0059]
In the process of being conveyed, the layer thickness of the developer is regulated by a regulating blade 4c arranged perpendicular to the developing sleeve 4a, and a thin layer developer is formed on the developing sleeve 4a. When the thin layer developer is transported to the developing pole corresponding to the developing portion, a spike is formed by the magnetic force. The electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 is developed as a toner image by the toner in the developer formed in the spike shape. In this example, the electrostatic latent image is reversely developed.
[0060]
The thin layer developer on the developing sleeve 4a that has passed through the developing section c continues to enter the developing container 4f with the rotation of the developing sleeve 4a, and is separated from the developing sleeve 4a by the repulsive magnetic field of the transport pole to be in the developing container 4f. The developer is returned to the developer storage unit 4h.
[0061]
A direct current (DC) voltage and an alternating current (AC) voltage are applied to the developing sleeve 4a from a power source (not shown). In this embodiment, a DC voltage of −500 V and an AC voltage of a peak-to-peak voltage of 1500 V at a frequency of 2000 Hz are applied, and only the exposed portion of the photosensitive drum 2 is selectively developed.
[0062]
In general, in the two-component development method, when an AC voltage is applied, the development efficiency is increased and the image becomes high quality, but there is also a risk that fog is likely to occur. For this reason, in general, it is possible to prevent fogging by providing a potential difference between the DC voltage applied to the developing sleeve 4 a and the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 2. More specifically, a bias voltage having a potential between the potential of the exposed portion of the photosensitive drum 2 and the potential of the non-exposed portion is applied.
[0063]
When the toner is consumed by development, the toner concentration in the developer decreases. In the present embodiment, a sensor 4g that detects the toner density is disposed at a position close to the outer peripheral surface of the stirring screw 4eB. When the sensor 4g detects that the toner density in the developer has decreased below a predetermined density level, a command to replenish toner into the developing device 4 is issued from the toner replenishing containers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K. By this toner replenishment operation, the toner density of the developer is always maintained at a predetermined level.
[0064]
[Toner supply container]
The toner supply containers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K are arranged in parallel above the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, and are mounted from the front of the apparatus main body 100.
[0065]
As shown in FIG. 2, a stirring plate 5b and a screw 5a fixed to the stirring shaft 5c are arranged inside the toner replenishing containers 5Y, 5M, 5C and 5K, and a discharge opening 5f for discharging the toner is provided on the bottom of the container. Is formed. As shown in FIG. 5, both ends of the screw 5a and the stirring shaft 5c are rotatably supported by bearings 5d, and a drive coupling (concave) 5e is disposed at one end. The drive coupling (concave) 5e receives a driving force from the drive coupling (convex) 62b of the apparatus main body 100 and is driven to rotate (see FIG. 5).
[0066]
The outer shape of the screw 5a has a spiral rib shape, and the twist direction of the spiral is reversed around the discharge opening 5f. The screw 5a is rotated in a predetermined rotation direction by the rotation of the drive coupling (convex) 62b. Then, the toner is conveyed toward the discharge opening 5f, the toner is freely dropped from the opening 5f5 of the discharge opening 5f, and the toner is supplied to the process cartridge 1 (1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K).
[0067]
The tip of the stirring plate 5b in the rotational radius direction is inclined, and the tip is brought into contact with the wall of the toner supply containers 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K at a certain angle. Specifically, the tip end side of the stirring plate 5b is twisted to become a spiral state. As described above, the tip side of the stirring plate 5b is twisted and inclined to generate an axial conveying force, and the toner is sent in the longitudinal direction.
[0068]
The toner replenishing containers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K according to the present embodiment can be replenished not only in the two-component developing method but also in a process cartridge or a developing cartridge using the one-component developing method, and the toner replenishing container 5Y. , 5M, 5C, 5K is not limited to toner, but may be so-called developer in which toner and magnetic carrier are mixed.
[0069]
The toner supply containers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K are attached to the apparatus main body 100 in the same direction as the apparatus main body 100 of the process cartridge 1 and are fitted and positioned on support pins 64 fixed to the rear plate 65. .
[0070]
[Transfer means]
The intermediate transfer unit 54, which is a transfer means, is primarily transferred and overlapped from the photosensitive drum 2 of the process cartridge 1Y to the photosensitive drum 2 of the process cartridge 1M, the photosensitive drum 2 of the process cartridge 1C, and the photosensitive drum 2 of the process cartridge 1K. The plurality of toner images thus obtained are collectively transferred to the recording medium 52 in a secondary manner.
[0071]
As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer unit 54 includes an intermediate transfer belt 54 a that travels in the arrow direction e, and travels in the clockwise direction at substantially the same peripheral speed as the outer peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 2. The intermediate transfer belt 54a is an endless belt having a circumferential length of about 940 mm, and is stretched around three rollers: a drive roller 54b, a secondary transfer counter roller 54g, and a driven roller 54c.
[0072]
Further, in the intermediate transfer belt 54a, transfer charging rollers 54fY, 54fM, 54fC, and 54fK are rotatably disposed at positions facing the photosensitive drum 2, and are pressed toward the center of the photosensitive drum 2.
[0073]
The transfer charging rollers 54fY, 54fM, 54fC, and 54fK are supplied with power from a high voltage power supply (not shown), are charged with the opposite polarity to the toner from the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 54a, and sequentially transfer the toner images on the photosensitive drum 2 to the intermediate transfer belt 54a. Primary transfer is performed on the upper surface.
[0074]
A secondary transfer roller 54d serving as a transfer member is in pressure contact with the intermediate transfer belt 54a at a position facing the secondary transfer counter roller 54g. The secondary transfer roller 54d can swing up and down in the drawing and rotates. At the same time, since a bias is applied to the intermediate transfer belt 54a, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 54a is transferred to the recording medium 52.
[0075]
Here, the intermediate transfer belt 54a and the secondary transfer roller 54d are each driven. When the recording medium 52 enters the secondary transfer portion, a predetermined bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 54d, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 54a is secondarily transferred to the recording medium 52.
[0076]
At this time, the recording medium 52 sandwiched between the two is simultaneously subjected to the transfer process, and is conveyed leftward in the drawing at a predetermined speed and toward the fixing unit 56 as the next process.
[0077]
At a predetermined position of the intermediate transfer belt 54a, which is the most downstream side of the transfer process, a cleaning unit 55 that can be brought into contact with and separated from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 54a is provided to remove transfer residual toner remaining after the secondary transfer.
[0078]
In the cleaning unit 55, a cleaning blade 55a for removing transfer residual toner is disposed. The cleaning unit 55 is attached so as to be able to swing at a rotation center (not shown), and the cleaning blade 55a is in pressure contact with the intermediate transfer belt 54a. The transfer residual toner taken into the cleaning unit 55 is conveyed and stored in a removal toner tank (not shown) by the feed screw 55b.
[0079]
Here, as the intermediate transfer belt 54a, a belt made of polyimide resin can be used. Other materials are not limited to polyimide resin, but plastics such as polycarbonate resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polyvinylidene fluoride resin, polyethylene naphthalate resin, polyether ether ketone resin, polyether sulfone resin, polyurethane resin, etc. Alternatively, fluorine-based or silicon-based rubber can be preferably used.
[0080]
[Fixing part]
The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 by the developing means is transferred onto the recording medium 52 via the intermediate transfer belt 54a. The fixing device 56 fixes the toner image transferred to the recording medium 52 to the recording medium 52 using heat.
[0081]
As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing device 56 includes a fixing roller 56a for applying heat to the recording medium 52 and a pressure roller 56b for pressing the recording medium 52 against the fixing roller 56a. Each roller is hollow. Laura. Each of them has a heater (not shown). The recording medium 52 is simultaneously conveyed by being driven to rotate.
[0082]
That is, the recording medium 52 holding the toner image is conveyed by the fixing roller 56a and the pressure roller 56b, and the toner image is fixed to the recording medium 52 by applying heat and pressure. The fixed recording medium 52 is discharged by discharge rollers 53h and 53j and is loaded on a tray 57 on the apparatus main body 100.
[0083]
[Install process cartridge]
Next, a procedure for mounting the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K will be described with reference to FIGS. An openable / closable front door (not shown) is disposed on the front of the apparatus main body 100. When the front door (not shown) is opened to the front, as shown in FIG. 3, the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K and the opening 58 for inserting the toner supply containers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K are exposed.
[0084]
A centering plate 59 supported so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow is disposed in the opening 58 into which the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are inserted, and the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are inserted and removed. When this is done, the centering plate 59 is rotated and the opening 58 is opened. The centering plate 59 has a lower edge pivotally attached to the apparatus main body 100 by a hinge (not shown). When opened, the centering plate 59 becomes almost horizontal with the lower edge side as a fulcrum as shown in FIG.
[0085]
A guide rail 60 for guiding the mounting of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K and a guide rail 61 for guiding the mounting of the toner supply containers 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K are fixed in the apparatus main body 100 ( (See FIG. 2). On the other hand, the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C and 1K are provided with a guide portion 1b parallel to the photosensitive drum 2, and the toner supply containers 5Y, 5M, 5C and 5K are provided with a guide portion 5g parallel to the screw 5a. .
[0086]
The mounting directions of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K and the toner supply containers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K are parallel to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2, and the guide rails 60 and 61 are arranged in the same direction. ing. The process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K and the toner supply containers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K are fitted along the guide rails 60 and 61 with guide portions 1b and 5g fitted to the guide rails 60 and 61, respectively. It is slid from the near side in the main body 100 to the back side (in the direction of arrow G in FIG. 3) and inserted. However, only the process cartridge is shown in FIG.
[0087]
When the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are inserted to the innermost part, the centering shaft 66 of the apparatus main body 100 is inserted into the center hole 2f of the drum flange 2b as shown in FIG. The rotation center position on the side is positioned with respect to the apparatus main body 100. At the same time, the drive transmission portion 2g formed on the drum flange 2b and the drive coupling (concave) 62a are connected, and the photosensitive drum 2 can be driven to rotate. The drive transmission portion 2g used in the present invention has a twisted triangular prism shape, and the drive coupling 62a is a twisted triangular prism hole. Therefore, the twisted triangular prism is fitted into the hole of the twisted triangular prism, and driving force is transmitted by applying a driving force from the apparatus main body 100, and a force for pulling the photosensitive drum 2 to the back side is generated.
[0088]
Further, support pins 63 for positioning the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are disposed on the rear plate 65. The support pins 63 are disposed in holes provided in the frame 1a of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. Inserted, the position of the frame 1a of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K is fixed.
[0089]
As shown in FIG. 3, a centering plate 59 that can rotate in the direction of the arrow is disposed on the front side of the apparatus main body 100, and the centering plate 59 is rotated to close the opening 58. As a result, the hole 59a of the centering plate 59 is fitted into the bearing case 2c, and the bearing cases 2c of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are supported and fixed (see FIG. 4). The photosensitive drum 2 and the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are positioned with respect to the apparatus main body 100 by a series of these insertion operations.
[0090]
[handle]
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 1 (1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K) as viewed obliquely from the front side in the mounting direction. On the upper surface of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K, a bendable handle 70 is parallel to the photosensitive drum 2, that is, a direction parallel to the direction in which the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K are attached to the apparatus main body 100. It is arranged in. In this figure, the handle 70 is bent at hinge portions 72a, 72b, and 72c, which are a plurality of refractable joints, so that the grip portion 70b can be gripped. In the handle 70, a front member 70a, a gripping portion 70b, a rear member 70c, and a slide portion 73 are connected by thin-walled hinge portions 72a, 72b, and 72c, and are integrally molded with resin. A handle presser 75 for rotatably supporting the handle 70 is attached to the upper surface of the frame 1a of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K at the distal end side in the insertion direction of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. A handle presser 76 that slidably supports the bent handle 70 is attached to the rear end side in the insertion direction so as to cover the handle 70. 7 and 8 are side views showing a state in which the handle 70 is closed and a state in which the handle 70 is bent so as to be gripped. The handle 70 has hinge portions 72a, 72b and 72c which are three joints. Reference numeral 71 denotes a rotation fulcrum and is supported by a handle presser 75 so as to be rotatable. The rotation fulcrum 71 is formed by horizontally projecting a round pin portion 71a on the left and right of the front end of the front member 70a, and this pin portion is fitted in a groove opened downward of the handle presser 75. The handle presser 75 is fixed to the frame 1a which is a cartridge frame by screwing or the like.
[0091]
The handle slide portion 73 has a slidable cross-sectional groove-shaped rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is slidably supported by a handle presser 76 that is a guide portion that guides the slide portion 73 in a movable manner. The guide portion of the handle presser 76 is a hole having a rectangular cross section. The handle slide portion 73 has a groove 73a closed at both ends in the slide direction, and the handle presser 76 has a rib 77 that fits into the groove 73a for regulating the slide amount of the slide portion 73. The movement of the slide portion 73 is stopped by the rib 77 at the end 73b of the groove 73a. Thereby, the handle slide part 73 can be slid within a limited range. The handle 70 is colored blue so that the user can easily identify it. The grip 70b of the handle 70 is set so that the length of the grip 70b is about 100 mm or more so that the user can easily hold it.
[0092]
When the user opens a new process cartridge 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K and holds the grip portion 70b of the handle 70, the hinge portions 72a, 72b, 72c are bent, and the front member 70a and the rear member 70a as shown in FIG. The member 70c rises in the direction of the arrow so that a finger can enter between the bottom of the gripping portion 70b and the frame 1a which is a cartridge frame. The material of the handle 70 is PP (polypropylene) or the like. PP is a resin having a relatively large bending stress and can withstand repeated bending operations of the hinge portions 72a, 72b, 72c. In the present embodiment, PP is used as the material of the handle 70, but it is not limited to PP as long as it can be bent repeatedly. Here, in the present embodiment, the handle 70 of an integrally molded product is used, but it may be an assembly part composed of several members having a plurality of hinge portions.
[0093]
There are steps in the vicinity of the hinge portions 72a, 72b, 72c, and the steps are chamfered by about 3 mm to 5 mm. In the embodiment of the present invention, the handle 70 is in a state where the hinge portions 72a, 72b, 72c and the rotation fulcrum 71 are in a straight line and the front member 70a, the gripping portion 70b, the rear member 70c, and the slide portion 73c are in a straight line, When the handle 70 is linearly formed in a state of being accommodated along the cartridge frame 1b and the user releases the handle 70 in the state of FIG. 8 in which the hinge portions 72a, 72b, 72c are bent, the handle 70 is naturally as shown in FIG. The handle 70 is housed along the frame 1a which is a cartridge frame. Therefore, when the user removes his / her hand from the grip 70b of the handle 70 while the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K are inserted into the apparatus main body 100, the hinges 72a, 72b, Since 72c tries to return to the extended shape, it is possible to prevent the handle 70 from being caught in the opening 58 of the apparatus main body 100.
[0094]
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the handle 70 and the handle presser 76 as viewed from the front. The handle presser 76 is attached from above the handle 70 so as to cover the handle 70, and is fixed to the frame 1a of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K with a small screw (not shown). As shown in FIG. 9, the handle presser 76 has a hooking portion 76t at the bottom, and is hooked on the frame 1a of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K during assembly.
[0095]
By using the handle presser 76 having the hooking portion 76t in this way, the weight of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K that are applied to the handle presser 76 when the user holds the handle 70 is held by the hooking portion 76t. It is possible to prevent an excessive load from being applied to the small screw portion fixing the handle presser 76 with a small screw (not shown). Therefore, the handle presser 76 and the handle 70 under load can withstand repeated use, and accidents such as the handle 70 being detached and the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K falling can be prevented.
[0096]
Although the embodiment describes the process cartridge as a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the present invention can be applied to a developing cartridge, a toner cartridge, and the like as cartridges that can be attached and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus. Here, the developing cartridge is a developing member that develops using the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and the developer, and a developer container that stores the developer supplied to the developing member. A device that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body.
[0097]
FIG. 10 shows a conventional process cartridge having a handle.
[0098]
  As described above, the cartridge and the electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the present embodiment can obtain the effects described below.
(1) To provide a handle having a plurality of joints, one end side fixed, the other end side slidable, and a handle that forms a gripping portion when bent and can be securely gripped with a small space. it can.
(2) Since the bendable handles at a plurality of locations are integrally formed with a molded product, the number of parts can be reduced, and the cost of the handles can be reduced.
(3) The front end of the process cartridge is rotatably supported on the upper surface of the process cartridge, and the rear end side is slidably supported, so that the handle is naturally extended and stored together with the mounting of the process cartridge mounted in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the user operability can be greatly improved.
【The invention's effect】
  As explained above, when the user removes the handle from the handle when mounting the cartridge on the main body, the handle slides and extends upstream in the mounting direction, and can be prevented from being caught by the opening of the main body. Can be improved. In addition, since the grip portion is connected to the front member, the slide portion, and the bendable hinge portion, the user's finger can easily enter between the grip portion and the cartridge frame, and the grip can be securely gripped.Furthermore, the weight of the cartridge can be held by the hooking portion, and an excessive load can be prevented from being applied to the portion where the handle presser is fixed to the cartridge frame with a screw.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an image forming apparatus main body.
FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of a process cartridge and a toner supply container.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a process of attaching a process cage and a ridge to the main body of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a process cartridge.
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a toner supply container.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a process cartridge.
FIG. 7 is a side view of a process cartridge containing a handle.
FIG. 8 is a side view of the process cartridge showing a grippable state.
FIG. 9 is a front sectional view of a process cartridge showing a configuration of a conventional handle holding member.
FIG. 10 is a front sectional view of a conventional process cartridge.
[Explanation of symbols]
1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K: Process cartridge 1a: Frame 1b: Guide portion 1c: Cartridge frame
2: Photosensitive drum 2a: Drum shaft 2b: Drum flange 2c: Bearing case
2d: Non-drive flange 2e: Bearing 2f: Center hole 2g: Drive transmission part
3: Charging device 3a: Charging roller 3b: Core metal 3c: Charging roller cleaning member 3d: Push spring 3e: Cleaning film 3f: Support member 3g: Transfer residual toner uniformizing means 3h: Toner charging control means
4: Developing device 4a: Developing sleeve 4a1: Journal portion 4b: Magnet roller 4c: Restricting blade 4d: Partition 4eA, 4eB: Stirring screw
4f: Development container 4g: Sensor 4h: Developer storage 4k: Spacer
5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K: toner supply container 5a: screw 5b: stirring plate 5c: stirring shaft 5d: bearing 5e: drive coupling (concave) 5f: discharge opening 5f5: opening 5g: guide
51Y, 51M, 51C, 51K: exposure means 51a: polygon mirror 51b: imaging lens 51c: reflection mirror
52: Recording medium
53: Feeding means 53a: Feeding cassette 53b: Feeding roller 53c: Retard roller 53d: Feeding guide 53e, 53f: Conveying roller 53g: Registration roller 53h, 53j: Discharging roller
54: intermediate transfer unit 54a: intermediate transfer belt 54b: drive roller 54c: driven roller 54d: secondary transfer roller 54fY, 54fM, 54fC, 54fK: transfer charging roller 54g: secondary transfer counter roller
55: Transfer cleaning unit 55a: Cleaning blade 55b: Feed screw
56: Fixing device
56a: fixing roller 56b: pressure roller
57: Tray
58: Opening
59: Centering plate 59a: Hole
60, 61: Guide rail
62a, 62b: Drive coupling
63, 64: Support pins
65: Rear side plate
66: Centering axis
70: handle 70a: front member 70b: gripping portion 30c: rear member
71: Rotating part
72, 72a, 72b, 72c: Hinge part
73: Slide part
75: Handle holding member
76: Handle holding member 76t: Hook
77: Rib
100: Device main body
a: Charging part, b: Exposure part, c: Development part, d: Transfer part
L: Laser light
B: Direction of rotation 2
B: Rotation direction of 4a
C: Transport direction
D: Transport direction
E: Traveling direction
F: Rising direction
G: Insertion direction
Re: Direction of rotation

Claims (8)

In the cartridge that is detachable from the main body through the opening provided in the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus,
A cartridge frame,
A handle provided along an attaching / detaching direction for attaching / detaching the cartridge to / from the main body, a front member coupled to the cartridge frame so as to be rotatable about an axis orthogonal to the attaching / detaching direction, and the cartridge Between the front member and the slide portion, and a slide portion that is provided on the upstream side of the front member in the mounting direction for mounting the main body on the main body, and that is slidably coupled in the attachment / detachment direction. A grip, which is provided and is connected to the front member and the slide portion via a refractable hinge portion and grips the cartridge when the cartridge is attached to or detached from the main body.
A handle presser having a guide part that is attached to the cartridge frame so as to cover the slide part from above the handle, and that supports the slide part so as to be movable, the cartridge holder being below the handle presser A cartridge comprising the handle presser having a hook portion that engages with a frame body in the vertical direction . The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the hinge portion is thinner than the grip portion and is integrally formed with the front member, the slide portion, and the grip portion .   The said handle is provided between the said holding part and the said slide part, and has the rear member connected via the hinge part which can bend with the said holding part and the said slide part, The Claim 1 or Claim characterized by the above-mentioned. Item 3. The cartridge according to Item 2.   When the grip portion is gripped, the slide portion moves downstream in the mounting direction and the hinge portion is bent, so that the grip portion is interposed between the grip portion and the cartridge frame. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a gap that can be gripped is formed.   When the grip portion is released, the slide portion moves upstream in the mounting direction, and the front member, the grip portion, and the slide portion are in a straight line along the cartridge frame. The cartridge according to claim 4.   The cartridge is a process cartridge comprising an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, wherein the attaching / detaching direction is an axial direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
(A) the cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 6;
(B) transport means for transporting the recording medium;
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:   The electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an opening for mounting the cartridge on the main body, and the cartridge frame is released by releasing the gripping portion when the gripping portion is gripped and the cartridge is mounted. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an opening through which the cartridge in which the front member, the grip portion, and the slide portion are aligned along a body can pass. .

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