JP5110291B2 - Toner seal member, toner seal device, cleaning device, process cartridge, image forming device, and toner seal device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is provided in an image forming apparatus that forms an image using toner, such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer, and between a toner carrier that carries toner and a contact member that abuts the toner carrier. A toner seal member for preventing toner leakage in the toner, a toner seal device including the toner seal member, a cleaning device including the toner seal device and removing toner from the toner carrier, and the toner seal device or the cleaning device. The present invention relates to a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from such an image forming apparatus, such a toner seal apparatus, such an image forming apparatus that includes a cleaning apparatus or a process cartridge, and a method for manufacturing such a toner seal apparatus.

  In image forming apparatuses that use toner to form images, such as copiers, facsimiles, and printers, the prevention of toner scattering prevents the contamination of the inside and outside of the image forming apparatus with toner, and prevents the deterioration of image quality due to toner adhesion. Is known to be important for. Toner scattering occurs not only from the inside of the image forming apparatus to the outside, but also from the inside of each component provided in the inside of the image forming apparatus to the space inside the image forming apparatus that is the outside thereof.

  [Patent Document 1] discloses a technique for preventing the latter toner scattering. Specifically, in a cleaning device for a photoconductor, the end of the cleaning blade that is in contact with the photoconductor is used as the outside of the cleaning device. In order to prevent the occurrence of toner leakage, a configuration is disclosed in which a side seal for sealing toner is provided so as to straddle the photoreceptor and the cleaning blade.

  Since such a toner seal member is generally installed so as to straddle two members having different properties, a plurality of properties suitable for contact with each member are required. For example, the side seal as described in [Patent Document 1] has a low contact pressure with respect to the cleaning blade in order to avoid deterioration of the cleaning performance due to deformation of the cleaning blade and is in close contact with the cleaning blade. In addition, in order to reduce the driving load on the photosensitive member, the contact pressure with respect to the photosensitive member is required to be low and the frictional resistance to be low.

  By the way, such a toner seal member, like the side seal described in [Patent Document 1], suppresses an increase in the size of the apparatus when installed on an end portion of a member that abuts on a member carrying toner. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the size.

Japanese Patent No. 3874056

  However, when the toner seal member is downsized, there are problems that the installation workability is lowered and it is difficult to ensure the toner seal performance. In addition, as described above, the toner seal member generally requires a plurality of properties. In order to satisfy this requirement, it is conceivable that the toner seal member is composed of a plurality of materials. When trying to do so, it is necessary to position the members of the respective materials at the respective installation positions, and it is also necessary to position the members of each other, so that such a problem appears remarkably.

  Thus, the security of the function of the toner seal member and the security of installation workability are in a trade-off relationship. Such a problem is not unique to the cleaning device for the photoreceptor as described in [Patent Document 1], and may occur in the cleaning device for the intermediate transfer member. In addition to the above, there is a possibility of occurrence in a developing device or the like.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-described problems, the present invention is provided in an image forming apparatus that forms an image using toner, such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer, and a toner carrier that carries toner and the toner carrier. A toner seal member for simultaneously satisfying the security of the toner seal function and the security of installation workability to prevent toner leakage between the contact member and the contact member in contact with the toner, and a toner seal device provided with the toner seal member, A cleaning device that includes a toner seal device and removes toner from a toner carrier, a process cartridge that includes such a toner seal device or a cleaning device and is detachable from such an image forming device, and such a toner seal device, a cleaning device, or a process cartridge Such an image forming apparatus and a method of manufacturing such a toner seal device It aims to provide.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a toner carrier that moves in a predetermined direction and carries toner, and a contact member that contacts the toner carrier in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction. A toner seal member that is in contact with the end portion and prevents toner leakage from the end portion, and the first layer and the second layer are made of different materials in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the toner carrier . In the region where the second layer is laminated, the first layer contacts the toner carrier, and the second layer is deformed in the region adjacent to the laminated region where the second layer is exposed. The toner seal member is in contact with the toner carrier and the end portion .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the toner seal member according to the first aspect , the first layer is a layer having a lower coefficient of friction than the second layer .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the toner seal member according to the second aspect, the material of the first layer is a bristle brush material, and the material of the second layer is a sponge material.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a contact member that contacts a toner carrier that carries toner in a predetermined direction, and an end of the contact member that intersects the predetermined direction, and the toner carrier. And a toner seal member according to any one of claims 1 to 3 for preventing toner leakage from the same end portion.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the toner seal device according to the fourth aspect, the contact member includes a plurality of contact members along the predetermined direction, and a single second layer is applied to all contact members. It is characterized by touching.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is a cleaning device comprising the toner seal device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the contact member is provided as a cleaning blade for removing toner from the toner carrier.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising the toner seal device according to the fifth aspect or the cleaning device according to the sixth aspect and the toner carrier, wherein the toner carrier is used to form an image. And a process cartridge that is detachable integrally.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising the toner seal device according to the fifth aspect, the cleaning device according to the sixth aspect, or the process cartridge according to the seventh aspect.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner for preventing toner leakage from an end portion in a direction intersecting with the predetermined direction of a contact member that moves in a predetermined direction and contacts a toner carrier that carries toner. A method of manufacturing a sealing device, wherein a first layer is a region where the first layer and the second layer of different materials are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the toner carrier. A state in which the second layer is deformed and is in contact with the toner carrier and the end portion in a region adjacent to the stacked region where the second layer is exposed, in contact with the body. so as to form, in the manufacturing method of the first layer and the toner seal device which you will install the toner seal member according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in a state where the second layer is laminated .

The present invention makes contact with a toner carrier that moves in a predetermined direction and carries toner, and an end of the contact member that contacts the toner carrier in the direction intersecting the predetermined direction. A toner seal member for preventing toner leakage from the end portion, in a region where the first layer and the second layer of different materials are laminated in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the toner carrier , The second layer is deformed in the region adjacent to the stacked region where the first layer is in contact with the toner carrier and the second layer is exposed, and the toner carrier and the end portion are deformed. Since the toner seal member is in contact with the toner, the mounting workability is high and the toner sealability is good. In addition, the size can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Near It is possible to provide a toner sealing member capable.

  If the material of the first layer is a bristle brush material and the material of the second layer is a sponge material, the first layer of the bristle brush material contacts the toner carrier, and the second material of the sponge material. The contact layer is in contact with the end of the contact member, so that the driving force of the toner carrier can be suppressed, the mounting workability is high, the toner sealability is good, and the size and cost are reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide a toner seal member that can contribute to good image formation by preventing or suppressing toner scattering.

  According to the present invention, a contact member that contacts a toner carrier that moves in a predetermined direction and carries toner, an end of the contact member in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and the toner carrier are straddled. In the toner seal device having such a toner seal member for preventing toner leakage from the same end portion, so that the assembly workability is high, the toner sealability is good, and the size is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide a toner seal device that can contribute to good image formation by preventing or suppressing toner scattering.

  If there are a plurality of the abutting members along the predetermined direction and the single second layer is in contact with all the abutting members, the assembling workability is high and the single second layer is high. Toner sealing device that can contribute to good image formation by preventing or suppressing toner scattering, with good toner sealability with respect to a plurality of contact members in a layer, and being capable of miniaturization and cost reduction Can be provided.

  The present invention resides in a cleaning device having such a toner seal device and having the contact member as a cleaning blade for removing toner from the toner carrier, so that the workability of assembly is high and the end portion of the cleaning blade In addition, it is possible to provide a cleaning device that can contribute to good image formation by preventing or suppressing toner scattering, which has good toner sealability and can be reduced in size and cost.

  The present invention provides a process cartridge that includes such a toner seal device or such a cleaning device and the toner carrier, and is detachably integrated with an image forming apparatus that forms an image using the toner carrier. Therefore, the toner seal device, which is easy to assemble and has good toner sealability, and can be reduced in size and reduced in price, and the toner carrier, etc. can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus. It is possible to provide a process cartridge that can contribute to good image formation by preventing or suppressing toner scattering with high workability such as replacement.

  The present invention resides in such a toner seal device, or such a cleaning device, or an image forming apparatus provided with such a process cartridge. Therefore, the assembly workability is high, the toner seal property is good, and the size is reduced. A toner seal device that can be reduced in price can prevent or suppress image contamination due to toner scattering, and can provide a reliable image forming device that can form a good image.

The present invention provides a toner seal device for preventing toner leakage from an end of a contact member that moves in a predetermined direction and contacts a toner carrier that carries toner, in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction. In the method , the first layer contacts the toner carrier in a region where the first layer and the second layer, which are different from each other, are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the toner carrier. In addition, the second layer is deformed in a region adjacent to the stacked region where the second layer is exposed so as to form a state in which the second layer is deformed so as to straddle the toner carrier and the end portion. , since the first and second layers are in the production method of the toner seal device which you will install the toner seal member according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in a state of being stacked, the toner seal High workability for mounting parts With Shiru is good, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method for downsizing and which by that can be cost reduction, the toner seal device which can contribute to good image formation by preventing or suppressing toner scattering.

  FIG. 1 shows an outline of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The image forming apparatus 100 is a complex machine of a color laser copying machine and a printer, but may be other image forming apparatuses such as other types of copying machines, facsimile machines, printers, and complex machines of these. The image forming apparatus 100 performs image forming processing based on image data of a document read by the image forming apparatus 100 or an image signal corresponding to image information received from the outside. The image forming apparatus 100 can form an image using plain paper generally used for copying, OHP sheets, thick paper such as cards and postcards, and envelopes as sheet-like recording media. .

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a photosensitive member as a toner carrier that is a latent image carrier as an image carrier capable of forming an image as an image corresponding to each of the colors separated into yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. A tandem structure in which the drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are arranged in parallel, in other words, a tandem system is adopted.

  The photoconductor drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are OPC photoconductors that are rotatably supported by a frame (not shown) of the main body 99 of the image forming apparatus 100, and are transferred as an intermediate transfer medium as a transfer medium that is an image carrier. The belts 11 are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the direction A1, which is the moving direction of the belt 11. Y, M, C, and BK added after the numerals of the respective symbols indicate members for yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.

  Each of the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK has image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK for forming yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (BK) images, respectively. Is provided.

  The photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are on the outer peripheral surface side of the transfer belt 11 as an intermediate transfer member, that is, an endless belt disposed slightly above the central portion inside the main body 99, that is, on the image forming surface side. Is located.

  The transfer belt 11 is movable in the direction of the arrow A1 while facing the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK. Visible images, that is, toner images formed on the respective photoconductive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are respectively superimposed and transferred onto the transfer belt 11 that moves in the direction of the arrow A1, and then transferred as a recording medium and a transfer medium. It is designed to be batch transferred onto paper. Illustration of the transfer paper is omitted.

  The upper portion of the transfer belt 11 faces the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK, and the opposed portions transfer the toner images on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK. A primary transfer portion 98 for transferring to the belt 11 is formed.

  In the superimposing transfer to the transfer belt 11, the toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are transferred to the same position on the transfer belt 11 while the transfer belt 11 moves in the A1 direction. As described above, voltage application by the primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK disposed at positions facing the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK across the transfer belt 11 causes the A1 direction upstream. The timing is shifted toward the downstream side.

  The transfer belt 11 exhibits conductivity with a volume resistance of 10 ^ 5 to 10 ^ 11 Ω · cm 2. When the surface resistance is less than 10 ^ 5Ω / □, when the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK onto the transfer belt 11, the toner image is disturbed due to discharge, so-called transfer dust. If it exceeds 10 ^ 11Ω / □, the toner image is transferred from the transfer belt 11 to the sheet, and then the counter charge of the toner image remains on the transfer belt 11 and the afterimage on the next image. May appear as

  The transfer belt 11 is, for example, a belt-like shape obtained by extruding a metal oxide such as tin oxide or indium oxide, conductive particles such as carbon black, or a conductive polymer alone or in combination with a thermoplastic resin, and then extruding. Cylindrical plastics can be used. In addition, the above-mentioned conductive particles and conductive polymer are added to a resin solution containing a thermal crosslinking reactive monomer or oligomer, if necessary, and centrifugal molding is performed while heating to obtain an endless belt-shaped transfer belt 11. You can also.

  Each of the transfer belts 11 has a detent guide (not shown) as a detent member at each edge thereof. The offset guide is provided to prevent the transfer belt 11 from being biased in any direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1 when the transfer belt 11 rotates in the A1 direction. The stopper guide is made of urethane rubber, but can be made of various rubber materials such as silicon rubber.

  The image forming apparatus 100 is disposed in the main body 99 so as to oppose the four image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK and the respective photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK. A transfer belt unit 10 as an intermediate transfer unit provided; a secondary transfer roller 5 as a secondary transfer bias roller as a transfer member which is disposed opposite to the transfer belt 11 and is driven by the transfer belt 11; And an optical scanning device 8 which is an optical writing unit as a latent image forming device as a latent image forming means disposed opposite to the image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C and 60BK.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also feeds a sheet as a sheet feeding cassette capable of stacking a large number of transfer sheets transported between the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK and the transfer belt 11 in the main body 99. The sheet feeding device 61, which is a mechanism, and the transfer belt conveyed from the sheet feeding device 61 are transferred at a predetermined timing in accordance with the toner image formation timing by the image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK. 11 and the secondary transfer roller 5, a registration roller 4 that feeds out toward the secondary transfer portion 97, and a sensor (not shown) that detects that the leading edge of the transfer paper has reached the registration roller 4.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also includes a fixing device 6 as a belt-fixing type fixing unit for fixing the toner image onto the transfer paper onto which the toner image has been transferred, and a fixed transfer paper in the main body 99. And a paper discharge roller 7 as a pair of paper discharge rollers for discharging to the outside.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also has a paper discharge tray 17 on the side of the main body 99 on which the transfer paper discharged from the main body 99 by the discharge rollers 7 is stacked. And an automatic document feeder (so-called ADF) 15 that is disposed above the reader 14 and feeds a document to the reader 14.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also includes a driving device (not shown) that rotationally drives the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK, and a power source as a bias applying unit (not shown) that applies a secondary transfer bias to the secondary transfer roller 5. The control unit includes a bias control unit, and a control unit (not shown) including a CPU, a memory, and the like that control the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 100 based on detection results by various detection units.

  In addition to the transfer belt 11, the transfer belt unit 10 includes primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK as primary transfer bias rollers, and a drive roller 72 that is a drive member around which the transfer belt 11 is wound. , A cleaning counter roller 74, tension rollers 75 and 77 that stretch the transfer belt 11 together with the driving roller 72 and the cleaning counter roller 74, and belt cleaning that is disposed opposite the transfer belt 11 and cleans the transfer belt 11. And a cleaning device 13 as a device.

  The transfer belt unit 10 also includes a drive system (not shown) that rotationally drives the drive roller 72, and a power source and bias control as a bias application unit (not shown) that applies a primary transfer bias to the primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK. Means.

  The primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK press the transfer belt 11 from the back surface thereof toward the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK to form primary transfer nips.

  In each primary transfer nip, a primary transfer electric field is formed between the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK and the primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK due to the influence of the primary transfer bias. . The toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are primarily transferred onto the transfer belt 11 due to the influence of the primary transfer electric field and nip pressure.

The driving roller 72 is in contact with the secondary transfer roller 5 via the transfer belt 11 to form a secondary transfer nip.
The tension roller 75 has a function as a tension roller as a pressure member that gives the transfer belt 11 a predetermined tension suitable for transfer.

  Although not shown in detail, the cleaning device 13 includes a cleaning brush and a cleaning blade disposed so as to face and contact the transfer belt 11, and remove foreign matters such as residual toner on the transfer belt 11. The transfer belt 11 is cleaned by scraping and removing with a cleaning brush and a cleaning blade.

The sheet feeding device 61 accommodates a plurality of transfer papers in a state where a plurality of transfer papers are stacked, and is arranged in multiple stages below the main body 99. The sheet feeding device 61 feeds the transfer paper toward the registration roller 4 at a predetermined timing.
The transfer paper fed from the sheet feeding device 61 reaches the registration roller 4 through the paper feed path and is sandwiched between the rollers of the registration roller 4.

  The fixing device 6 includes a belt unit 62 and a pressure roller 63 pressed against the belt unit 62. The belt unit 62 includes an endless fixing belt 64, a fixing roller 65 that moves the fixing belt 64 in an endless manner, and a heating roller 66 that has the fixing belt 64 wound around the fixing roller 65 and has a heat source (not shown) inside. have

  The fixing device 6 passes the transfer paper carrying the toner image through a fixing unit, which is a pressure contact part between the belt unit 62 and the pressure roller 63, so that the carried toner image is caused by the action of heat and pressure. It is fixed on the surface of the transfer paper.

  The configuration of the image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK will be described as a representative of the configuration of the image forming unit 60Y that includes the photosensitive drum 20Y. Since the configurations of the other image forming units are substantially the same, in the following description, for the sake of convenience, reference numerals corresponding to the reference numerals assigned to the configuration of the image forming unit 60Y are used for the configurations of the other image forming units. Or omitted, and detailed description will be omitted as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 60Y including the photosensitive drum 20Y includes a primary transfer roller 12Y around the photosensitive drum 20Y along a rotation direction B1 that is counterclockwise in the drawing. A cleaning device 70Y as a drum cleaning device as a cleaning means, a protective film forming device 40Y as a protective film forming means for applying a protective agent 42Y for protecting the photosensitive drum 20Y to the photosensitive drum 20Y, and a static elimination as a static elimination means The apparatus 30 </ b> Y includes a charging device 90 </ b> Y as a charging unit, and a developing device 80 </ b> Y as a developing unit as a developing unit as a developing unit.

  The photoconductor drum 20Y, the cleaning device 70Y, the protective film forming device 40Y, the charge eliminating device 30Y, the charging device 90Y, and the developing device 80Y are integrated to form an image forming unit 60Y as a process cartridge. ing. The image forming unit 60Y, which is a process cartridge, is detachable from the main body 99. Such a process cartridge having a plurality of structures can be handled as a replacement part, so that maintainability is remarkably improved, which is very preferable. In addition, since the life of each part, which is an element of the process cartridge, is equal, unnecessary replacement is prevented and suppressed, and the structure is further preferable.

The static eliminator 30Y neutralizes the surface of the photoreceptor drum 20Y to make it electrically clean, and is disposed in the vicinity of the surface of the photoreceptor drum 20Y.
The charging device 90Y is a uniform charging unit that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y that has been neutralized by the neutralizing device 30Y, and is disposed close to the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y.

  The optical scanning device 8 irradiates the region between the charging region where the charging device 90Y faces the photosensitive drum 20Y and the developing region where the developing device 80Y faces the scanning light beam while scanning the optically modulated and deflected laser light L. Then, the surface to be scanned on the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y charged by the charging device 90Y is exposed by spot irradiation, and is visualized as a yellow toner image by the developing device 80Y. The latent image is written. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the optical scanning device 8 includes a laser optical system such as a light source 31 that is a semiconductor laser, a polygon mirror 32 that is a polygonal polygon mirror that rotates at high speed, an fθ lens 33, and a reflection mirror 34. Have.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 80Y includes a developing roller 81Y carrying a two-component developer (hereinafter referred to as developer) including a toner and a carrier disposed in close proximity to the photosensitive drum 20Y, and a developing roller 81Y. A doctor blade 82Y that regulates the developer on the roller 81Y to a certain height and a first conveying screw 83Y that is arranged to face each other and stirs the developer and supplies the developer to the developing roller 81Y. The second conveying screw 84Y, the partition wall 87Y provided between the first conveying screw 83Y and the second conveying screw 84Y, the toner bottle 88Y containing yellow toner, and the developing bias of the DC component with the developing roller 81Y. And a bias applying means (not shown) for applying to.

  The developing roller 81Y has a developing sleeve (not shown) that is a developer carrying member that carries the developer on the surface thereof. The bias applying means applies a developing bias having an appropriate size between the exposed portion and the non-exposed portion of the photosensitive drum 20Y to the developing sleeve.

  In the developing device 80Y, a partition wall 87Y forms a first supply unit that accommodates the developing roller 81Y and the first conveyance screw 83Y and a second supply unit that accommodates the second conveyance screw 84Y. Has been.

  The first transport screw 83Y is rotationally driven by a driving unit, and supplies the developer in the first supply unit to the developing roller 81Y while transporting the developer from the back side to the front side in FIG. The developer conveyed to the vicinity of the end in the first supply unit by the first conveyance screw 83Y enters the second supply unit through an opening (not shown) formed in the partition wall 87Y.

  In the second supply unit, the second transport screw 84Y transports the developer sent from the first supply unit in the direction opposite to that of the first transport screw 83Y by being rotationally driven by the driving unit. The developer transported to the vicinity of the end of the second supply unit by the second transport screw 84Y returns to the first supply unit through another opening (not shown) provided in the partition wall 87Y.

  The developer in the developing case 85Y is a two-component developer containing a magnetic carrier and yellow toner. The developer is supplied and supplied with yellow toner from the toner bottle 88Y, and the first transport screw 83Y and The supplied yellow toner and developer are agitated and mixed while being agitated and conveyed by the second conveying screw 84Y, are frictionally charged, and are supplied and carried on the developing roller 81Y.

  The developing roller 81Y whose developer thickness is regulated by the doctor blade 82Y and whose layer thickness is regulated is developed in the developing region between the developing roller 81Y and the photosensitive drum 20Y by the rotation and the developing bias by the bias applying means. An appropriate amount of developer is carried by the doctor blade 82Y, and the yellow toner in the developer is electrostatically transferred to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y, and the electrostatic latent image is formed. A visible image is formed as a yellow toner image.

The developer that has consumed the yellow toner by the development is returned to the developing device 80Y as the developing roller 81Y rotates.
In this embodiment, the DC component developing bias is applied by the bias applying means. However, the developing bias may be an AC component, or an AC component superimposed on the DC component.

  The protective film forming apparatus 40Y rotates in the direction D1 which is a forward direction with respect to the rotational direction B1 of the photosensitive drum 20Y, and a protective agent 42Y as an image carrier protective agent which is a solid lubricant formed in a bar shape. The brush roller 47Y as a fur brush as a scraping member, which is a protective agent supply member that scrapes off the protective agent 42Y to protect the photosensitive drum 20Y and supplies the photosensitive drum 20Y, and the protective agent 42Y to the brush roller 47Y. A spring 48Y, which is a pressure spring as an elastic member to be pressed, and a protective agent 42Y applied or supplied to the photosensitive drum 20Y by the brush roller 47Y are applied onto the photosensitive drum 20Y, and a film-like surface is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y. And a coating blade (not shown) for forming a protective film as a protective layer.

  The film formed on the surface of the photoconductive drum 20Y by the protective agent 42Y has a function of preventing the surface of the photoconductive drum 20Y from being deteriorated due to proximity discharge, and the protective film forming apparatus 40Y functions as a discharge deterioration preventing means. It is. The deterioration here refers to both wear of the photosensitive drum 20Y due to discharge, acceleration of the wear, and activation of the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y.

In addition, the coating prevents deterioration such as wear caused by friction between the photosensitive drum 20Y and the cleaning blade 78Y, and the protective film forming apparatus 40Y functions as a friction deterioration preventing unit.
As described above, the protective film forming apparatus 40Y suppresses the deterioration by applying the protective agent 42Y to the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y.

  The cleaning device 70Y is housed in a cleaning case 71Y having a housing, and the front end of the cleaning device 70Y contacts the photosensitive drum 20Y, and the transfer residual toner, carrier, paper powder, etc. on the photosensitive drum 20Y. A cleaning blade 78Y that scrapes off and collects foreign matters, a blade support 73Y that supports the cleaning blade 78Y with respect to the cleaning case 71Y, and a support shaft 69Y that rotatably supports the blade support 73Y on the cleaning case 71Y. And a spring 79Y that presses the cleaning blade 78Y against the photosensitive drum 20Y with a predetermined elastic force so that the edge thereof is pressed against the photosensitive drum 20Y.

  The cleaning device 70Y is also attached to a portion of the cleaning case 71Y facing the photosensitive drum 20Y on the upstream side in the B1 direction of the portion facing the photosensitive drum 20Y, and is an entrance for preventing toner leakage to the outside of the cleaning device 70Y. A seal 76Y and a collection chamber (not shown) that collects transfer residual toner and the like removed from the photosensitive drum 20Y by the cleaning blade 78Y are provided.

  The cleaning blade 78Y is in contact with the photosensitive drum 20Y at an angle similar to a so-called counter type, that is, a reading type. The cleaning blade 78Y is provided as a first abutting member that abuts against the photosensitive drum 20Y, which is a toner carrier that moves in the B1 direction and carries toner.

The inlet seal 76Y is provided as a second abutting member that abuts the photoreceptor drum 20Y, which is a toner carrying member whose surface moves in the B1 direction and carries toner, along the downstream side in the B1 direction. Yes.
In addition, the configuration of the cleaning device 70Y will be described later.

  In such an image forming unit 60Y, an image is formed by a negative-positive process. As the photosensitive drum 20Y rotates in the B1 direction, the surface is uniformly negatively charged by the charging device 90Y, and the electrostatic latent image corresponding to the yellow color is obtained by the exposure scanning of the laser light L emitted from the optical scanning device 8. An image is formed. In this way, the electrostatic latent image forming step is performed by at least the latter of charging by the charging device 90Y and writing by the optical scanning device 8.

  The electrostatic latent image is developed with the yellow toner in the developer by the developing device 80Y, and the yellow toner image obtained by the developing process is transferred to the transfer belt 11 that is moved in the A1 direction by the primary transfer roller 12Y. After the primary transfer, the transfer process is performed, the transfer residual toner remaining after the transfer is removed by the cleaning device 70Y, the cleaning process is performed, the protective film forming device 40Y supplies the protective agent 42Y, and the static eliminator 30Y performs the residual process. A charge removing process is performed to remove charges, and the charge is applied to the next charging by the charging device 90Y.

At this time, the cleaning device 70Y also removes the protective agent on the photosensitive drum 20Y partially or wholly deteriorated due to charging or the like as a surface residue together with other components such as transfer residual toner. The protective film forming apparatus 40Y performs a protective film forming process as a protective layer forming method process for forming a protective film with a protective agent on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 20Y after cleaning.
The cleaning device 70Y stores the collected toner in the collection chamber, but may be configured to perform a predetermined recycling process so that the collected toner can be used again for development.

  Similarly, toner images of the respective colors are formed on the other photosensitive drums 20M, 20C, and 20BK, and the formed toner images of the respective colors are transferred to the A1 direction by the primary transfer rollers 12M, 12C, and 12BK. 11 is sequentially transferred to the same position on the head. As the transfer belt 11 rotates in the A1 direction, the toner image superimposed on the transfer belt 11 moves to the secondary transfer nip, which is the position facing the secondary transfer roller 5, and closely contacts the transfer paper. Secondary transfer is performed on the transfer paper by the action of the transfer bias and nip pressure, and a full-color image is formed on the transfer paper.

The transfer paper transported between the transfer belt 11 and the secondary transfer roller 5 is fed from the sheet feeding device 61 and fed, and is transferred onto the transfer belt 11 by the registration roller 4 based on a detection signal from the sensor. The leading edge of the toner image is sent out at the timing when it faces the secondary transfer roller 5.
The secondary transfer roller 5 is applied with a potential having a polarity opposite to the polarity of toner charging by bias applying means.

  When the toner image of all colors is transferred and carried on the transfer paper, it enters the fixing device 6 and passes through the fixing portion between the pressure roller 63 and the belt unit 62 due to the action of heat and pressure. The carried toner image is fixed, and a full-color image is fixed on the transfer paper. The fixed transfer paper that has passed through the fixing device 6 and has undergone the fixing process passes through the paper discharge roller 7 and is stacked on the paper discharge tray 17. On the other hand, the surface of the transfer belt 11 after passing through the secondary transfer nip after the secondary transfer is cleaned by a cleaning brush and a cleaning blade provided in the cleaning device 13 to prepare for the next development process.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 performs an image forming method including an electrostatic latent image forming process, a developing process, a transfer process, a protective layer forming process, a fixing process, a charge eliminating process, a recycling process, and the like.

  As described above, in an image forming apparatus that forms an image using toner, such as the image forming apparatus 100, prevention of toner scattering is important for preventing image quality deterioration due to toner adhesion. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a toner seal device for preventing toner scattering inside the main body 99.

  This toner seal device will be described as a representative of the toner seal device 50Y provided in the cleaning device 70Y of the image forming unit 60Y. A toner seal device having the same configuration as that of the toner seal device 50Y is provided in the image forming units 60M, 60C, and 60BK in the same manner, but the description thereof is omitted.

  3 to 5 show such a toner seal device 50Y. 3 shows the toner seal device 50Y as seen from the photosensitive drum 20Y side, FIG. 4 shows the toner seal device 50Y as seen from the side, and FIG. 5 is seen obliquely from the photosensitive drum 20Y side. A toner seal device 50Y is shown. 3 and 5, the photosensitive drum 20Y is not shown. In FIG. 3, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface coincides with the direction perpendicular to the surface of the photoreceptor drum 20Y. In FIG. 5, the inlet seal 76Y is shown in a translucent state.

  As shown in these drawings, the toner seal device 50Y includes a cleaning blade 78Y, an inlet seal 76Y, and a side seal as a toner seal member attached to a cleaning case 71Y (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 5). 51Y.

  The cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y extend in the left-right direction in FIG. 3 perpendicular to the B1 direction, and in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 4, but in FIG. 3 and FIG. Only the part is shown. As apparent from FIGS. 3 and 5, the configuration of each end is the same configuration that is symmetrical to each other.

  The cleaning blade 78Y is a rectangular member that is long in the extending direction, and has a proximal end adhered to the blade support 73Y by an adhesive tape (not shown), and a distal end is in contact with the photosensitive drum 20Y. The cleaning blade 78Y is a rubber member that comes into pressure contact with the photosensitive drum 20Y and scrapes off transfer residual toner or the like as the photosensitive drum 20Y moves in the B1 direction. good.

  The inlet seal 76Y is a rectangular member that is long in the extending direction, and has a base end bonded to the cleaning case 71Y by an adhesive tape (not shown), and a front end that is in contact with the photosensitive drum 20Y. The entrance seal 76Y is made of a soft urethane sheet, but may be made of another material that is in close contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y by bending and seals between the photosensitive drum 20Y.

  The pair of side seals 51Y are provided so as to abut against both ends of the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y in the direction substantially perpendicular to the B1 direction, but only one of them is shown in the drawing. In order to prevent toner scattering due to toner leakage from the ends of the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y, the side seal 51Y also contacts the photosensitive drum 20Y in addition to the ends of the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y. It touches. That is, the side seal 51Y is in contact with the end portions of the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y and the photosensitive drum 20Y in such a manner as to straddle.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the side seal 51Y is a first layer in contact with the photosensitive drum 20Y, which is a brush layer 52Y made of a bristle brush of Teflon (registered trademark) fiber having a low friction coefficient, A second layer abutting the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y is a sponge layer 53Y made of a soft sponge material. As shown in FIG. An adhesive layer 54Y made of a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, and a fourth layer obtained by attaching a sponge layer 53Y to the cleaning case 71Y, and an adhesive layer 55Y made of a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. Yes.

  The brush layer 52Y is disposed so as to form part of the contour range of the sponge layer 53Y as viewed from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y, and is viewed from the same direction, that is, from the surface side of the side seal 51Y. The sponge layer 53Y is exposed. The sponge layer 53Y contacts the inlet seal 76Y in the region 56Y exposed on the upstream side in the B1 direction, and contacts the cleaning blade 78Y in the region 57Y exposed on the downstream side in the B1 direction. A brush layer 52Y is disposed between the region 56Y and the region 57Y, and the region 56Y and the region 57Y are divided and become independent regions.

  The entire region 56Y is exposed in the width direction of the side seal 51Y, which is the left-right direction in FIG. 3, and has a rectangular shape. The length of the region 56Y in the width direction is an extremely slight length of about 0.5 to several mm.

  The region 57Y is formed by the brush layer 52Y having a portion that is cut out in a rectangular shape so as to form an L shape, and the side that contacts the cleaning blade 78Y in the width direction of the side seal 51Y. Only one end side of is exposed. The sponge layer 53Y has an inclined portion that has an inclined outline so that the width on the downstream side in the B1 direction is narrowed at the portion where the brush layer 52Y is cut out in a rectangular shape. In the portion where the brush layer 52Y is cut out in a rectangular shape, the brush layer 52Y has a contour which is inclined so that the width on the downstream side in the B1 direction becomes narrower.

  The base end of the cleaning blade 78Y is supported by the blade support 73Y on the back surface side of the side seal 51Y, but the tip of the cleaning blade 78Y is in contact with the region 57Y on the surface side of the side seal 51Y as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the side edge is disposed between the base end and the tip so as to intersect with and cross the inclined portion of the sponge layer 53 </ b> Y.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning blade 78Y is slightly deformed because its side edge abuts against the inclined portion of the sponge layer 53Y constituting the region 57Y. Deformation has also occurred in the portion of the sponge layer 53Y that is in contact with the cleaning blade 78Y. Due to these deformations, the adhesion between the side seal 51Y and the cleaning blade 78Y is increased, and the sealing performance is improved.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 4, the same deformation occurs in the side seal 51Y and the inlet seal 76Y at these contact positions, and the sealing performance is improved. As shown in FIG. 4, in the side seal 51Y, the sponge layer 53Y is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y in the portion of the region 57Y that is not in contact with the inlet seal 76Y, and exhibits a sealing function. Yes.

  As described above, the side seal 51Y is configured by laminating a plurality of layers having different materials and shapes in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the photosensitive drum 20Y, and the sponge layer 53Y contacts the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y. The brush layer 52Y is in contact with the photosensitive drum 20Y.

  Since the brush layer 52Y has a low friction coefficient, the driving load of the photosensitive drum 20Y is reduced. The distance between the brush layer 52Y and the cleaning blade 78Y is a slight size of about 0 to several mm.

  Since the sponge layer 53Y is soft and has good followability of shape change, the sealability is good. The sponge layer 53Y is pressed against the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y at a low pressure, and the amount of biting into the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y is 0 to several mm.

  When assembling the toner seal device 50Y, the side seal 51Y having the structure and shape shown in FIG. 6 is pasted on the cleaning case 71Y at the position shown in FIG. Then, the assembly is completed simply by assembling the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y to the main body of the cleaning device 70Y. Therefore, if the brush layer 52Y and the sponge layer 53Y are assembled separately, it is not necessary to increase the size of these members required for the work. It is necessary and sufficient for securing.

  In the toner seal device 50Y having such a configuration, the foreign matter scraped off from the photosensitive drum 20Y by the cleaning blade 78Y moves in the left-right direction in FIG. 3 along the edge of the cleaning blade 78Y. Leakage to the outside of the cleaning device 70Y is prevented.

  Further, the foreign matter scraped from the photosensitive drum 20Y by the cleaning blade 78Y may move upstream in the B1 direction, but the entrance seal 76Y prevents leakage to the outside of the cleaning device 70Y toward the upstream in the B1 direction. Further, even if the foreign matter blocked by the inlet seal 76Y moves along the edge of the inlet seal 76Y, the side seal 51Y prevents the leakage from the cleaning device 70Y.

  Since the side seal 51Y is in contact with the photosensitive drum 20Y with the brush layer 52Y, the sealing property is secured, and the contact portion with the photosensitive drum 20Y has a low coefficient of friction. The driving load is reduced, so that the output of the driving source of the photosensitive drum 20Y is suppressed.

  Since the side seal 51Y is in contact with the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y by the sponge layer 53Y, the side seal 51Y is in contact with the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y without any gap and has good sealing performance, and the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal The pressure contact force to 76Y is low, the deformation of the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y is prevented or suppressed, and the functions of the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y are exhibited well. In addition, since the space | interval of the brush layer 52Y and the cleaning blade 78Y is a small magnitude | size, the sealing performance between the sponge layer 53Y and the cleaning blade 78Y is favorable.

  In particular, as described above, since the side seal 51Y is attached in a completed state, the toner seal device 50Y is assembled, so that the positioning accuracy of the side seal 51Y is high, and the workability of assembly and attachment is high. In addition, since there is no gap between the brush layer 52Y and the sponge layer 53Y, the sealing performance is good, and the size and shape of the side seal 51Y are minimized to ensure the sealing performance. The 51Y itself, the toner seal device 50Y itself, and the cleaning device 70Y, the image forming unit 60Y, and the image forming device 100 are prevented from being increased in size, and the cost thereof is reduced.

  In addition, regarding the suppression of the output of the driving source of the photosensitive drum 20Y by reducing the driving load of the photosensitive drum 20Y, the sponge layer 53Y that contacts the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y due to the high positioning accuracy of the side seal 51Y. Therefore, the sponge layer 53Y having a higher resistance than the brush layer 52Y is reduced as much as possible from contact with the photosensitive drum 20Y, and the driving load on the photosensitive drum 20Y is reduced. The output of the drive source of the photosensitive drum 20Y is suppressed.

  Since the single sponge layer 53Y contacts the cleaning blade 78Y and the inlet seal 76Y, the structure of the side seal 51Y itself is simple while performing sealing at a plurality of locations, contributing to downsizing, and the above-described increase in size. Prevention, suppression and cost reduction are advanced.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and the present invention described in the claims is not specifically limited by the above description. Various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the above.

  For example, the toner carrier with which the toner seal member abuts may be an image carrier that is not a photosensitive member, such as an intermediate transfer member such as the transfer belt 11, or a development sleeve such as a developing sleeve instead of the image carrier. It may be an agent carrier, or a member such as an image carrier or a developer carrier, and not a member that carries toner by positively adhering toner, but a fixing belt 64, a pressure roller 63, A member that causes unintended toner adhesion may be used.

When the toner carrier is an intermediate transfer member, the toner seal device can be disposed in a cleaning device for cleaning the intermediate transfer member, such as the cleaning device 13, and the contact member is a cleaning blade. The configuration is the same as 78Y, inlet seal 76Y, and the like.
When the toner carrier is a developer carrier, the contact member has the same configuration as the doctor blade 82Y. When the toner carrier is a fixing member such as a fixing belt, the contact member is For example, a blade for cleaning such a member is used.

  The developer used for developing the image carrier by the developing means is not limited to the two-component developer as described above, and the component is a one-component developer whose component is composed only of toner or mainly composed of toner. Also good.

  The process cartridge includes at least a toner seal device and a toner carrier, and may be detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. Selection of other components constituting the process cartridge is limited by the lifetime of each component. In view of the cost, the ease of construction of the process cartridge, etc., it is appropriately performed.

  Similarly to a so-called tandem type image forming apparatus, a so-called one-drum type image forming apparatus that sequentially forms toner images of each color on a single photosensitive drum and sequentially superimposes the color toner images to obtain a color image. Can be applied. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a color image forming apparatus but also to a monochrome image forming apparatus. In any type of image forming apparatus, a toner image of each color may be directly transferred onto a transfer sheet or the like without using an intermediate transfer member.

  The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are only the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. is not.

1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a configuration around one image carrier among a plurality of image carriers provided in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and including a process cartridge. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a part of a toner seal device provided in a cleaning device constituting the process cartridge shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a side view of a toner seal device provided in a cleaning device constituting the process cartridge shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a part of a toner seal device provided in a cleaning device constituting the process cartridge shown in FIG. 2. 3 shows a toner seal member provided in the toner seal device shown in FIG. 3, wherein (a) a left side view of the same member, (b) a front view of the same member, and (c) a right side view of the same member. .

Explanation of symbols

20Y, 20M, 20C, 20BK Toner carrier 50Y Toner seal device 51Y Toner seal member 52Y First layer 53Y Second layer 60Y, 60M, 60C, 60BK Process cartridge 70Y Cleaning device 76Y, 78Y Contact member 78Y Cleaning blade 100 Image forming apparatus B1 predetermined direction

Claims (9)

The toner carrier that moves in a predetermined direction and carries the toner, and the end of the contact member that contacts the toner carrier in the direction intersecting the predetermined direction are in contact with each other. A toner seal member for preventing toner leakage,
In the direction perpendicular to the surface of the toner carrier , the first layer is in contact with the toner carrier in the region where the first and second layers of different materials are laminated, and the second layer A toner seal member in which the second layer is deformed and contacts the toner carrier and the end in a region adjacent to the stacked region where the layer is exposed ; The toner seal member according to claim 1,
The toner seal member , wherein the first layer is a layer having a lower friction coefficient than the second layer . The toner seal member according to claim 2.
A toner seal member, wherein the material of the first layer is a bristle brush material and the material of the second layer is a sponge material. A contact member that moves in a predetermined direction and contacts a toner carrier that carries toner;
4. The contact member according to claim 1, wherein the contact member is in contact with the end portion in the direction intersecting the predetermined direction and the toner carrier so as to prevent toner leakage from the end portion. And a toner seal member. The toner seal device according to claim 4.
A toner seal device comprising a plurality of the contact members along the predetermined direction, wherein a single second layer contacts all the contact members.   A cleaning device comprising the toner seal device according to claim 5, wherein the contact member is provided as a cleaning blade for removing toner from the toner carrier.   A toner seal device according to claim 5, or a cleaning device according to claim 6, and the toner carrier, wherein the toner carrier can be integrally attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus that forms an image using the toner carrier. A process cartridge.   An image forming apparatus comprising the toner seal device according to claim 5, the cleaning device according to claim 6, or the process cartridge according to claim 7. A method of manufacturing a toner seal device for preventing toner leakage from an end of a contact member that moves in a predetermined direction and contacts a toner carrier that carries toner, in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction. ,
In the direction perpendicular to the surface of the toner carrier, the first layer is in contact with the toner carrier in the region where the first and second layers of different materials are laminated, and the second layer In the region adjacent to the stacked region where the layer is exposed, the second layer is deformed to form a state of contacting the toner carrier and the end so as to straddle the first layer. When the production method of the toner seal device and a second layer which you will install the toner seal member according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in a state of being laminated.

Images