JP5355131B2 - Cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a process cartridge which is stably used without causing a failure even if strong shock is applied in physical distribution or the like when the process cartridge is not in use and the process cartridge is loaded at a position where it retreats from a conveyance belt or an intermediate transfer body, and to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: While a protection cover 70 is attached to the process cartridge 7, a regulation surface 70h of the protection cover 70 abuts on an engaging part bearing member 49 of an Oldham's coupling 48, and a driving side engaging member 48c is pressed down through the engaging part bearing member 49, so that displacement between an axial line 48c5 of the driving side engaging member 48c and an axial line 25k of a developing roller 25 is small. Namely, the amount of fitting between a rib 48a1 of a driven side engaging member 48a and a groove 48ba1 of an intermediate engaging member 48b, and the amount of fitting between a rib 48c6 of the driving side engaging member 48c and a groove 48bc1 of the intermediate engaging member 48b are large. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the cartridge.

  Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming system. Examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, etc.), a facsimile apparatus, a word processor, and the like.

  The cartridge is a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum are integrally formed into a cartridge. A cartridge system that allows the cartridge to be attached to and detached from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body is employed. According to this cartridge system, maintenance of the apparatus can be performed by the user himself / herself without depending on the service person, so that the operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this cartridge system is widely used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, light corresponding to image information such as a laser, an LED, or a lamp is irradiated to an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum). As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum. The electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device. Further, the developed image formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred to a recording medium. Thereby, an image is formed on the recording medium.

  Patent Document 1 describes an inline-type color electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which a plurality of cartridges are arranged in a line. Here, in the cartridge 40, a drum unit 41 having a photosensitive drum 44 and a developing unit 42 having a developing roller 68 are rotatably coupled by a swing center 43. The photosensitive drum 44 is provided with a cartridge coupling 60 at the end of the photosensitive drum 44 in the axial direction. When the cartridge 40 is mounted on the apparatus main body, the cartridge coupling 60 engages with the main body coupling 61 provided on the apparatus main body, and the driving force is transmitted. Further, a driving force is transmitted to the developing roller 68 via an idler gears 65 and 66 from an input gear 64 as a developing driving force transmitting member provided at the swing center 43 of the developing unit 42. Here, when the cartridge 40 is mounted on the apparatus main body, the input gear 64 meshes with a gear 67 provided on the apparatus main body and receives a driving force. That is, drive transmission from the apparatus main body to the photosensitive drum 44 and the developing roller 68 is performed independently.

  However, further improvements in image quality have been demanded in recent years. In the conventional example, the input gear is provided at the center of swinging in which the position does not change even when the developing unit swings. Therefore, driving is transmitted from the input gear to the developing roller via the idler gear, and it is necessary to provide a space for this in the cartridge. Further, the rotation accuracy of the developing roller is affected by the meshing of the input gear, idler gear, and main body gear.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, Oldham is used as a shaft coupling member in order to stably transmit the driving force to the development drive transmission unit even when the rotation center on the drive output side and the rotation center on the drive input side are displaced. A cartridge provided with a coupling and an image forming apparatus have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Patent Document 2 proposes a configuration in which an Oldham coupling is provided on one end side in the axial direction of the developing roller, and the cartridge is attached to the apparatus main body at a position retracted from the transport belt or the intermediate transfer member. In this configuration, when the cartridge 7 enters the apparatus main body 100A, the driving side engaging portion 48c of the Oldham coupling 48 is urged in the direction intersecting with the axis of the developing roller 25 to be positioned on the holding portion 27f. . That is, the axis 48c5 of the driving side engaging portion 48c is arranged at a position substantially coincident with the axis 53a of the main body developing coupling 53 so that the driving side engaging portion 48c can be engaged with the main body developing coupling 53. Yes.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-255806 (page 9-11, FIGS. 7-14) JP 2008-170961 A (pages 11-16, FIGS. 4-10)

However, in the above-described configuration, a shaft coupling such as an Oldham coupling is used for the drive transmission portion of the cartridge, and the engagement amount of the engagement member and the transmission member constituting the shaft coupling is small in the state of the cartridge alone. Yes. Therefore, when a strong impact is applied during distribution, the shaft coupling may be disengaged and fall off.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a shaft coupling member that transmits a driving force to the rotating member while allowing a deviation between the axis of the main body driving force transmitting member and the axis of the rotating member. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that can be used stably without any trouble even when a strong impact is applied to the cartridge due to physical distribution.

In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the process cartridge according to the present invention is as follows.
In the cartridge detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a main body driving force transmission member that is rotatable to transmit the driving force,
The cartridge body,
A rotatable rotating member;
A shaft coupling member that is provided at one end of the rotating member in the axial direction and transmits the driving force to the rotating member while allowing a deviation between the axis of the main body driving force transmitting member and the axis of the rotating member; A driving-side engaging member that is engageable with the main body driving force transmission member to receive the driving force from the main body driving force transmission member and is movable in a direction intersecting the axis of the rotating member; and the driving force A driven-side engaging member for transmitting the rotation to the rotating member, and a shaft coupling member,
A biasing member for biasing the driving side engaging member to position the axis of the driving side engaging member at a reference position away from the axis of the driven side engaging member;
It is detachable to the cartridge body, to regulate the axis of the driving-side engaging member against the urging force of the urging member at a position closer to the axis of the driven-side engaging member than the reference position A regulating member;
It is characterized by having.

A typical configuration of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a recording medium.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body having a main body driving force transmission member rotatable to transmit a driving force;
The above process cartridge ;
It is characterized by having.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the cartridge having the shaft coupling member that transmits the driving force to the rotating member while allowing the deviation between the axis of the main body driving force transmitting member and the axis of the rotating member is strong in terms of physical distribution. Even when an impact is applied, there is no problem and it can be used stably.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of a process cartridge. (A)-(c) is a figure explaining the mounting | wearing operation | movement to the apparatus main body of a process cartridge. It is a figure explaining the support structure of a developing roller. It is a figure explaining the structure of Oldham coupling. (A) And (b) is a cross-sectional explanatory drawing of an Oldham coupling. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the structure of the coupling of a process cartridge and an apparatus main body. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the state of the Oldham coupling at the time of mounting | wearing the image forming apparatus main body with the process cartridge in 1st Embodiment. (A)-(c) is a figure explaining the state of Oldham coupling at the time of mounting | wearing the image forming apparatus main body with the process cartridge in 1st Embodiment. (A)-(c) is a figure explaining the state of Oldham coupling at the time of positioning the process cartridge in 1st Embodiment to the image forming apparatus main body. It is a perspective view explaining the mounting structure of the protective cover to the main body of the process cartridge in 1st Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a side view of the state which attached the protective cover to the main body of the process cartridge in 1st Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a side view of the state which removed the protective cover from the main body of the process cartridge in 1st Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the state of Oldham coupling at the time of mounting | wearing the image forming apparatus main body with the process cartridge in 2nd Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the state of Oldham coupling at the time of mounting | wearing the image forming apparatus main body with the process cartridge in 2nd Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the state of Oldham coupling at the time of positioning the process cartridge in 2nd Embodiment to the image forming apparatus main body. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the state of Oldham coupling at the time of positioning the process cartridge in 2nd Embodiment to the image forming apparatus main body. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the state of Oldham coupling at the time of image formation in 2nd Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a side view of the state which attached the protective cover to the main body of the process cartridge in 2nd Embodiment. (A) And (b) is a side view of the state which removed the protective cover from the main body of the process cartridge in 2nd Embodiment.

Example 1
[First Embodiment]
An embodiment of a process cartridge and a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “image forming apparatus”) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  First, an overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus) 100 capable of forming an image on a recording medium will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, four detachable process cartridges 7 (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) are mounted from the front side to the back side of the figure by mounting members (not shown). In FIG. 1, the process cartridge 7 is provided in the apparatus main body 100A so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

  Each process cartridge 7 includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum) 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) and a charging roller 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) around the photosensitive drum 1. ), A developing roller (developer carrier) 25 (25a, 25b, 25c, 25d) as a rotating member, and process means such as a cleaning member 6 (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d) are integrally disposed. Yes. The charging roller 2 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and the developing roller 25 develops a latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 by carrying the toner with a toner to visualize it. To do. The cleaning member 6 removes the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 after transferring the developer image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 to a recording medium.

  A scanner unit 3 is provided below the process cartridge 7 for selectively exposing the photosensitive drum 1 based on image information and forming a latent image on the photosensitive drum 1.

  A cassette 17 containing a recording medium S is mounted at the lower part of the apparatus main body 100A. A recording medium conveying means is provided so as to be conveyed above the apparatus main body A. That is, the feeding roller 18 that separates and feeds the recording medium S in the cassette 17 one by one, the transport roller pair 19 that transports the fed recording medium S, the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 and the recording medium. A registration roller pair 20 for synchronizing with S is provided. Further, an intermediate transfer unit serving as an intermediate transfer unit for transferring a toner image formed on each photosensitive drum 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) above the process cartridge 7 (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d). A unit 5 is provided.

  The intermediate transfer unit 5 has a driving roller 21, a driven roller 22, a primary transfer roller 23 (23 a, 23 b, 23 c, 23 d) at a position facing the photosensitive drum 1 of each color, and a position facing the secondary transfer roller 24. The intermediate transfer belt 5a is stretched over a roller 87. The intermediate transfer belt 5a circulates so as to face and contact all the photosensitive drums 1 and applies a voltage to the primary transfer roller 23, whereby the primary transfer from the photosensitive drum 1 onto the intermediate transfer belt 5a is performed. I do. The toner on the intermediate transfer belt 5a is transferred to the recording medium S by applying a voltage to the opposing roller 87 and the secondary transfer roller 24 disposed in the intermediate transfer belt 5a.

  When forming an image, each photosensitive drum 1 is rotated, and the photosensitive drum 1 uniformly charged by the charging roller 2 is selectively exposed from the scanner unit 3. Thereby, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1. The latent image is developed by the developing roller 25. Thus, each color developer image is formed on each photoconductive drum 1. In synchronization with this image formation, the registration roller pair 20 conveys the recording medium S to the secondary transfer position where the opposing roller 87 and the secondary transfer roller 24 are in contact with each other with the intermediate transfer belt 5a interposed therebetween. Then, each color developer image on the intermediate transfer belt 5a is secondarily transferred to the recording medium S by applying a transfer bias voltage to the secondary transfer roller 24. As a result, a color image is formed on the recording medium S. The recording medium S on which the color image is formed as described above is heated and pressed by the fixing unit 88 to fix the developer image. Thereafter, the recording medium S is discharged to the discharge unit 90 by the discharge roller 89. The fixing unit 88 is disposed on the upper part of the apparatus main body 100A.

(Process cartridge)
Next, the process cartridge 7 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a main cross section of the process cartridge 7 containing a developer (hereinafter referred to as toner). The process cartridge 7a containing yellow toner, the process cartridge 7b containing magenta toner, the process cartridge 7c containing cyan toner, and the process cartridge 7d containing black toner have the same configuration. .

  The process cartridge 7 is divided into a photosensitive drum 1, a charging roller 2, a drum unit 26 (26a to 26d) including a cleaning member 6, and a developing unit 4 (4a to 4d) having a developing member.

  The photosensitive drum 1 is rotatably attached to the cleaning frame 27 of the drum unit 26 via a bearing (not shown). As described above, the charging roller 2 and the cleaning member 6 are disposed on the circumference of the photosensitive drum 1. Further, the residual toner removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the cleaning member 6 falls into the removed toner chamber 27a. Then, by transmitting a driving force of a driving motor (not shown) as a driving source to the drum unit 26, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotationally driven according to an image forming operation. The charging roller bearing 28 is attached to the cleaning frame 27 so as to be movable in the arrow D direction. The charging roller 2 has a shaft 2j rotatably attached to the charging roller bearing 28, and the charging roller bearing 28 is pressurized toward the photosensitive drum 1 by a charging roller pressing member 46.

  The developing unit 4 that is a developing device includes a developing roller 25 and a developing frame 31 that rotate in the direction of arrow B in contact with the photosensitive drum 1. The developing roller 25 is rotatably supported by the developing frame 31 via bearing members 32 (32R, 32L) attached to both sides of the developing frame 31, respectively. Around the developing roller 25, a toner supply roller 34 that rotates in the direction of arrow C in contact with the developing roller 25 and a developing blade 35 for regulating the toner layer on the developing roller 25 are disposed. Further, the toner container 31 a of the developing frame 31 is provided with a toner transport member 36 for stirring the stored toner and transporting the toner to the toner supply roller 34.

  The developing unit 4 is rotatably coupled to the drum unit 26 about shafts 37R and 37L provided in the bearing members 32R and 32L and fitted in the holes 32Rb and 32Lb. At the time of image formation of the process cartridge 7, the developing unit 4 is biased by the pressure spring 38, and therefore rotates around the shafts 37 </ b> R and 37 </ b> L so that the developing roller 25 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1. .

(Mechanism for mounting the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body)
Next, a mechanism for mounting the process cartridge 7 embodying the present invention to the apparatus main assembly 100A will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3A illustrates a state before the process cartridge 7 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100A. 3A, the process cartridge 7 is mounted (entered) in the direction of arrow E from the opening 82b of the front plate 82 of the apparatus main body 100A. Here, the E direction is the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 7. The longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 7 is also the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1 and the axial direction of the developing roller 25. At that time, the guided portion 27b provided integrally with the cleaning frame 27 of the process cartridge 7 is guided in the direction of arrow E while being guided while being placed on the guide portion 81a of the guide member 81 provided on the apparatus main body 100A. It is attached to. The guide member 81 is a mounting member for detachably mounting the process cartridge 7.

  FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a state where the process cartridge 7 is mounted up to the rear plate 83 which is the rear plate 83 in the mounting direction. When the process cartridge 7 is mounted in the direction of arrow E, the abutting portion 27c provided integrally with the cleaning frame 27 abuts on the rear plate 83 of the apparatus main body 100A, so that the process cartridge 7 reaches the rear plate 83. It will be in the state of wearing. As a result, the position of the process cartridge 7 in the longitudinal direction is determined. In this state, the process cartridge 7 is not completely positioned on the apparatus main body 100A. That is, the positioning in the vertical direction (direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 7) is not performed. Further, the photosensitive drum 1 is not in contact with the transfer belt 5 a of the intermediate transfer unit 5.

  FIG. 3C illustrates a state where the process cartridge 7 is completely attached to the apparatus main body 100A. After the process cartridge 7 is mounted up to the rear side plate 83 in the longitudinal direction, the moving members 84R and 84L provided in the apparatus main body 100A are connected to the pressed portions 27Ld and 27Rd provided integrally with the cleaning frame 27 of the process cartridge 7. Press in the direction of arrow F. The moving members 84R and 84L move in conjunction with an opening / closing cover (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100A. Here, the opening / closing cover (not shown) opens and closes an opening (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100A when the process cartridge 7 is mounted. Then, the positioning portions 27Re and 27Le provided integrally with the cleaning frame body 27 abut against the abutting portion 82a of the front side plate 82 and the abutting portion 83a of the rear side plate 83 of the apparatus main body 100A, respectively. Are positioned in the vertical direction. Thus, the process cartridge 7 is completely positioned on the apparatus main body 100A. In this state, the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer belt 5a also come into contact with each other.

  That is, the rear side plate 83 against which the abutting portion 27 c abuts is a positioning portion in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 7. The abutting portions 82a and 83a against which the positioning portions 27Re and 27Le abut are main body positioning portions for positioning the process cartridge 7 in the vertical direction.

  Further, when the process cartridge 7 enters the apparatus main body 100A, the moving members 84R and 84L can take a first position (position shown in FIG. 3A) that allows the entry. That is, the first position is a position where the moving members 84R and 84L do not protrude from the guide 81a so as not to prevent the process cartridge 7 from entering. At this time, the opening / closing cover (not shown) is in a position to open the opening (not shown). Further, the moving members 84R and 84L are arranged at a second position (FIG. 3) for pressing the process cartridge 7 in the cross direction in the longitudinal direction (entry direction) of the process cartridge 7 in order to position the process cartridge 7 at the main body positioning portion. (Position (c)). That is, the moving members 84R and 84L are at positions protruding from the guide 81a. At this time, the open / close cover (not shown) is in a position to close the opening (not shown). That is, when the opening / closing cover (not shown) moves from the open position to the closed position, the moving members 84R and 84L move from the first position to the second position. That is, when the process cartridge 7 shown in FIG. 3A is mounted from the longitudinal direction, the photosensitive drum 1 can be mounted separately from the transfer belt 5a, so that the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer belt 5a are mounted. Will not rub. The moving members 84R and 84L move from the first position to the second position, so that the photosensitive drum 1 can be brought into contact with the transfer belt 5a.

(Supporting structure of developing roller and Oldham coupling in process cartridge)
Next, a configuration using the Oldham coupling 48 as a shaft coupling member and a support configuration of the developing roller 25 in the process cartridge 7 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 4 is a view showing one longitudinal end side of the support portion of the developing roller 25. In FIG. 4, the developing roller shaft 25j of the developing roller 25 is rotatably fitted to the inner periphery of a bearing portion 32Lc provided integrally with the bearing member 32L. Between the rubber roller portion 25g of the developing roller 25 and the bearing portion 32Lc, a regulating roller 47 for regulating the contact amount of the developing roller 25 to the photosensitive drum 1 is rotatably fitted to the developing roller shaft 25j. Is provided. Here, the support structure on the one end side in the longitudinal direction of the developing roller 25 has been described, but the bearing portion is similarly provided integrally with the bearing member on the other end side in the longitudinal direction, and the other end side of the developing roller shaft is rotatably fitted. Match.

  The structure of the Oldham coupling 48 which is the shaft coupling member of this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG.5 and FIG.6. Here, the bearing member 32L is omitted in order to explain the configuration of the Oldham coupling 48.

  In FIG. 5, the Oldham coupling 48 includes a driven side engaging member 48a, an intermediate engaging member 48b, and a driving side engaging member 48c as transmission members. Here, the driven side engaging member 48a is fixed to the end of the developing roller shaft 25j. As a fixing method, a coupling method using a spring pin or a parallel pin, as shown in FIG. 5, a cut portion 25c is provided on the end surface of the developing roller shaft 25j, and a hole on the driven side engaging member 48a side is formed therewith. There is a method of cutting and joining into corresponding shapes. The drive-side engagement member 48c is rotatably fitted to the engagement portion bearing member 49. Further, on the driving side engaging member 48c that is an engaging portion, protrusions 48c1 to 48c4 that engage with a main body developing coupling 53 (see FIG. 7) that is a second main body driving force transmitting member of the apparatus main body 100A described later. Are integrally formed. This Oldham coupling 48 allows a deviation between the axis of the main body developing coupling 53 and the axis of the developing roller 25 and transmits the driving rotational force (second driving rotational force) from the apparatus main body 100A to the developing roller 25. .

  In FIG. 6, the configuration of the Oldham coupling 48 will be described in more detail with reference to cross-sectional views. 6A is a cross-sectional view in a direction parallel to the arrow H in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view in a direction parallel to the arrow G in FIG.

  In FIG. 6A, a rib 48a1 is integrally provided on the driven side engaging member 48a. The intermediate engagement member 48b is provided with a groove 48ba1, and the rib 48a1 and the groove 48ba1 are fitted so as to be movable in the direction of arrow G in FIG.

  In FIG. 6B, a rib 48c6 is integrally provided on the driving side engaging member 48c. The intermediate engagement member 48b is provided with a groove 48bc1, and the rib 48c6 and the groove 48bc1 are fitted so as to be movable in the direction of arrow H in FIG.

  FIG. 7A is a view showing the configuration of the coupling provided in the process cartridge 7. Projections 48c1 to 48c3 projecting in the axial direction are integrally formed on the end face of the driving side engaging member 48c of the Oldham coupling 48 provided in the developing unit 4. In addition, a centering protrusion 48c4 that is an engaging portion positioning portion for aligning the axis with the main body coupling 53 protrudes in the axial direction from the end surface of the driving side engaging member 48c. A triangular drum coupling 1 c is provided at the tip of the photosensitive drum 1. The guide portion 49b of the engaging portion bearing member 49 is guided by a groove 50a of the side cover 50 fixed to the developing unit 4 with a screw (not shown) so as to be movable in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the developing roller 25. . That is, the driving side engaging member 48 c is movable in a direction intersecting the axis 25 of the developing roller 25.

  FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a configuration of the coupling provided in the apparatus main body 100A. In FIG. 7B, a drum drive coupling 66 which is a first main body driving force transmission member for transmitting a driving force from the apparatus main body 100A to the photosensitive drum 1 is provided with a hole 66a having a substantially triangular cross section. Yes. After the process cartridge 7 is positioned on the main body positioning portions 82a and 83a by the moving members 84R and 84L, the coupling moving mechanism 66b moves in the direction of the arrow m. As a result, the drum drive coupling 66 moves together with the coupling moving mechanism 66b toward the process cartridge 7 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1. When the phases of the holes 66a of the drum coupling 1c and the drum driving coupling 66 are shifted, the end surface 1c1 of the drum coupling 1c and the end surface 66c of the drum driving coupling 66 are in contact with each other. . At that time, the drum drive coupling 66 retracts in the direction of arrow n against the urging force of the spring 66b1 provided on the moving plate 66b2. When the drum driving coupling 66 rotates and the drum coupling 1c and the hole 66a are in phase, the drum driving coupling 66 is moved in the direction of the arrow r by the biasing force of the spring 66b1, and the coupling 1c and the hole are moved. 66a is engaged. Then, the driving torque (first driving torque) is transmitted to the photosensitive drum 1 by the drum driving coupling 66. That is, the drum coupling 1c is brought into a position where the drum cartridge 1c can be engaged with the drum driving coupling 66 by positioning the process cartridge 7 shown in FIG. 3C on the main body positioning portions 82a and 83a by the moving members 84R and 84L. Will come. Therefore, the drum drive coupling 66 needs to be retracted until the process cartridge 7 is positioned by the main body positioning portions 82a and 83a. Therefore, the above-described coupling moving mechanism 66 becomes necessary.

  On the other hand, the main body development coupling 53 is simply urged toward the process cartridge 7 by a pressing member 53c such as a compression spring in a direction parallel to the axis of the development roller 25. The development roller 25 is provided with an Oldham coupling 48. Therefore, even before the process cartridge 7 shown in FIG. 3B is positioned by the main body positioning portions 82a and 83a, the main body developing coupling 53 and the Oldham coupling 48 can be engaged. That is, when the process cartridge 7 enters the apparatus main body 100A, the driving side engaging member 48c is shifted from the axis of the developing roller 25 and positioned at a position where it can engage with the main body developing coupling 53. Therefore, the retracting mechanism in the main body developing coupling 53 does not need to use a coupling moving mechanism like that used in the drum drive coupling 66, and can be configured simply.

  A detailed configuration of the main body development coupling 53 will be described. The main body development coupling 53 is provided with holes 53b1, 53b2, and 53b3. The main body development coupling 53 is urged toward the process cartridge 7 by a pressing member 53c such as a compression spring in a direction parallel to the axis of the development roller 25.

  When the process cartridge 7 enters the apparatus main body 100A and the driving side engaging member 48c and the main body developing coupling 53 are engaged, the projections 48c1 to 48c3 and the holes 53b1 to 53b3 may not be in phase. In this case, the tips of the protrusions 48c1 to 48c3 come into contact with places other than the holes 53b1 to 53b3, and the main body development coupling 53 moves back in the axial direction against the urging force of the pressing member 53c. However, when the main body development coupling 53 rotates and the projections 48c1 to 48c3 and the holes 53b1 to 53b3 are in phase, the main body development coupling 53 advances by the urging force of the pressing member 53c. Then, the projections 48c1 to 48c3 and the holes 53b1 to 53b3 engage with each other, the centering boss 48c4 and the centering hole 53b4 which is a transmission member positioning portion are also engaged, and the axis of the drive side engaging member 48c and the main body developing coupling 53 (Rotation center) matches. When the projections 48c1 to 48c3 and the holes 53b1 to 53b3 are in phase with each other, the protrusions 48c1 to 48c3 are engaged with each other, and the driving rotational force is transmitted to the developing roller 25.

  Here, the driving rotational force with respect to the drum driving coupling 66 and the main body developing coupling 53 is transmitted by a motor (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100A. There are a configuration in which one motor is used for each color process cartridge, and a configuration in which the drive is transmitted to several color process cartridges by one motor.

  As described above, the driving force is directly input from the apparatus main body 100A to the developing roller 25 independently of the driving input to the photosensitive drum 1. Therefore, the rotational accuracy of the photosensitive drum 1 can be suppressed from being affected by the rotation of the developing roller 25, and further, the rotational accuracy of the developing roller 25 itself can be improved and the image quality can be improved.

(Oldham coupling operation when the process cartridge is installed in the image forming device)
Next, the operation of the Oldham coupling 48 when the process cartridge 7 embodying the present invention is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100A will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8A is a view of the state in which the process cartridge 7 is mounted toward the rear plate 83 in the mounting direction (see FIG. 3A) as viewed from the back in the mounting direction. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8A viewed from the longitudinal side surface (arrow V1).

  As shown in FIG. 8B, the axis 53a of the main body development coupling 53 of the apparatus main body 100A is shifted (separated) from the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 of the process cartridge 7 to be mounted (reference position). It has become. As described above, it is necessary to lower the photosensitive drum 1 and the developing roller 25 so that the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer belt 5a do not slide when the process cartridge 7 enters the apparatus main body 100A. Because there is. Therefore, the main body developing coupling 53 is provided so that the axis line 25k of the developing roller 25 and the axis line 53a substantially coincide with each other when the process cartridge 7 is positioned on the main body positioning portions 82a and 83a. Then, the driving side engaging member 48 c is urged by the urging member 54 via the engaging portion bearing member 49 and is positioned by the holding portion 27 f provided on the cleaning frame body 27. This is because when the process cartridge 7 is mounted, the drive-side engagement is at a position (substantially on the same straight line) that substantially coincides with the axis 53a so that the drive-side engagement member 48c can be easily engaged with the main body development coupling 53. This is for arranging the axis 48c5 of the member 48c. That is, when the process cartridge 7 enters the apparatus main body 100A, the drive side engaging member 48c is held by the holding portion 27f so that the axis 48c5 is closer to the axis 53a of the main body development coupling 53 than the axis 25k. Is positioned. Here, the distance between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 is set to D1. Therefore, by positioning the engaging portion 48c on the holding portion 27f, a large guide for engagement is not provided on the engaging portion 48c and the main body developing coupling 53, and the process cartridge 7 and the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 100A can be reduced in size. Can be realized. Here, the biasing member 54 is used as a biasing force for the engaging portion bearing member 49. However, the engaging portion bearing member 49 may be brought into contact with the holding portion 27f by providing the engaging portion bearing member 49 with an elastic portion that can be elastically deformed integrally.

  FIG. 9A is a view of the state in which the process cartridge 7 is mounted to the apparatus main body 100A up to the rear plate 83 in the mounting direction of the process cartridge 7 (see FIG. 3B) as viewed from the back in the mounting direction. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 9A viewed from the longitudinal side surface (arrow V2).

  As shown in FIG. 9A, when the process cartridge 7 is guided by the guide member 81 of the apparatus main body 100A and is mounted to the rear side plate 83 in the mounting direction of the process cartridge 7, the process cartridge 7 is still in the moving member 84. It is not pressed by. For this reason, it is not completely positioned on the apparatus main body 100A, and the photosensitive drum 1 is separated from the transfer belt 5a.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the phases of the projections 48c1 to 48c3 and the holes 53b1 to 53b3 are not in phase, the contact part 49b is provided in the apparatus main body 100A instead of the holding part 27f. The main body locking member 85 is contacted and positioned. When the contact portion 49b is positioned by the main body locking member 85, the contact portion 49b is guided by the inclined surface 85a provided at the tip of the main body locking member 85 to be in the state shown in FIG. Accordingly, a gap is generated between the contact portion 49b and the holding portion 27f. Here, the driving side engaging member 48 c is rotatably fitted to the engaging portion bearing member 49. Therefore, the driving side engaging member 48 c is positioned on the main body locking member 85 via the engaging portion bearing member 49. Therefore, when the distance between the axis 48c5 here and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 is D2, D2 is smaller than D1 described above. The main body developing coupling 53 is pushed by the projections 48c1 to 48c3 of the driving side engaging member 48c and is retracted in the arrow J direction (axial direction) in the figure.

  Further, when the process cartridge 7 is mounted up to the rear side plate 83 (see FIG. 3), as shown in FIG. 9C, when the projections 48c1 to 48c3 and the holes 53b1 to 53b3 are in phase, the projection 48c4. And the hole 53b4 are fitted to position the drive side engaging member 48c. At that time, the contact portion 49b of the engaging portion bearing member 49 and the main body locking member 85 are separated from each other. Therefore, if the distance between the axis 48c5 here and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 is D3, D3 is smaller than D1 and D2 described above.

  FIG. 10A is a view of the state in which the process cartridge 7 is pressed by the moving members 84R and 84L and is positioned by the main body positioning portions 82a and 83a (see FIG. 3C) from the back side in the mounting direction. . FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 10A viewed from the longitudinal side surface (arrow V3).

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the cleaning frame 27 of the process cartridge 7 receives a force from the moving member 84 and is urged in the arrow I direction. As a result, the cartridge positioning portion 27g1 contacts the abutting portion 83a of the rear plate of the apparatus main body 100A, the process cartridge 7 is completely positioned by the apparatus main body 100A, and the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer belt 5a contact each other. In addition, the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 also comes to a position that substantially coincides with the axis 53a of the main body developing coupling 53. Here, the cartridge positioning portion 27g1 is a part of a drum bearing 27g provided on the cleaning frame 27 and rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum 1. Also, is the contact portion 49b of the engagement portion bearing member 49 contacted and locked to the main body locking member 85 (FIG. 10 (b)), the protrusion 48c4 of the driving side engagement member 48c, and the main body developing cup? The drive side engagement member 48c is positioned by fitting with the hole 53b4 of the ring 53 (FIG. 10C). For this reason, even if the process cartridge 7 moves in the direction of arrow I, the movement of the drive side engaging member 48 c is restricted and does not move together with the process cartridge 7. Therefore, the main body locking member 85 is located on the downstream side of the main body developing coupling 53 in the moving direction (arrow I direction) in which the process cartridge 7 moves. Therefore, if the distance between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 is D4 (see FIG. 10B) and D5 (see FIG. 10C), D4 and D5 are D1 and D2 described above. , Smaller than D3.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, when the projections 48c1 to 48c3 and the holes 53b1 to 53b3 are out of phase, the main body developing coupling 53 is rotated so that the projections 48c1 to 48c3 are in the holes 53b1 to 53b3. Is in phase. Then, the driving side engaging member 48c and the main body developing coupling 53 are engaged. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10c, if the projections 48c1 to 48c3 of the driving side engaging member 48c are in phase with the holes 53b1 to 53b3 provided in the main body developing coupling 53, the driving side engaging member 48c and the main body The development coupling 53 is engaged. Then, when the main body developing coupling 53 rotates, a driving rotational force (second driving rotational force) is transmitted to the driving side engaging member 48c.

  As described above, in the configuration in which the main body positioning portions 82a and 83a are positioned by the moving members 84R and 84L in a direction crossing the direction in which the process cartridge 7 enters, the retraction mechanism of the main body developing coupling 53 is simplified and the image forming apparatus 100 is used. Can be miniaturized.

  Further, it is necessary to provide a large guide for engaging the driving side engaging member 48c and the main body developing coupling 53 by positioning the driving side engaging member 48c provided in the Oldham coupling 48 to the holding portion 27f. No. Therefore, the process cartridge 7 and the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 100 can be reduced in size.

  In this embodiment, an example using the Oldham coupling 48 has been described. However, other couplings that have an effect of absorbing rotational fluctuations that occur when the input and output axes (center of rotation) are shifted. (For example, lateral coupling or the like) may be used.

(Oldham coupling position restriction configuration when the process cartridge is not used)
Next, the position restriction configuration of the Oldham coupling when the process cartridge is not used will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration for mounting the protective cover to the process cartridge. FIG. 12A is a side view of the process cartridge body with the protective cover attached, and FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge body with the protective cover attached. 13A is a side view of the process cartridge body with the protective cover removed, and FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge body with the protective cover removed.

  When the process cartridge 7 is not used, a protective cover 70 for protecting the photosensitive drum 1 is attached to the cartridge body 7A of the process cartridge 7.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the protective cover 70 is provided with 70 c 1 to c 4 and 70 d 1 and 70 d 2 so as to straddle the photosensitive drum 1. Further, a handle portion 70g is provided at the center in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, a regulating surface 70h that abuts on the engaging portion bearing member 49 when the protective cover 70 is mounted is provided.

  On the other hand, the process cartridge 7 is provided with frame claw hooks 27c, 27d1, and 27d2 as mounting portions of the protective cover 70.

  FIGS. 12A and 12B show how the protective cover 70 is attached to the cartridge body 7A. As shown in FIG. 12 (a), the hooking claws 70c1 to c4 of the protective cover 70 are attached to the frame hook nail 27c of the cleaning frame 27, and the hooking claws 70d1 and 70d2 are attached to the frame hook 27d1. , 27d2 are engaged with each other to fix the protective cover 70. At this time, the abutting portion (not shown) of the protective cover 70 abuts against the drum bearing 27g provided on the cleaning frame 27, whereby the distance between the photosensitive drum 1 and the protective cover 70 is maintained by a predetermined amount. Thereby, the contact of the protective cover 70 with the photosensitive drum 1 is prevented.

  When the protective cover 70 is attached to the cartridge 7 </ b> A, as shown in FIG. 12B, the restriction surface 70 h of the protective cover 70 is in contact with the engaging portion bearing member 49. Therefore, since the driving side engaging member 48c is pushed down via the engaging portion bearing member 49, the amount of deviation between the axis 48c5 of the driving side engaging member 48c and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 is small. That is, the fitting amount of the rib 48a1 of the driven side engaging member 48a and the groove 48ba1 of the intermediate engaging member 48b shown in FIG. 5, and the rib 48c6 of the driving side engaging member 48c and the groove 48bc1 of the intermediate engaging member 48b are shown. The amount of fitting is large. Here, the distance between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k in a state where the protective cover 70 is attached is D6.

  Next, when the process cartridge 7 is used, that is, when the process cartridge 7 is attached to the apparatus main body 100A, the cartridge main body 7A is pulled by pulling the handle 70g of the protective cover 70 shown in FIG. The protective cover 70 is removed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13B, the driving side engaging member 48 c is positioned on the holding portion 27 f of the cleaning frame body 27 via the engaging portion bearing member 49. Accordingly, since the axis 48c5 of the drive side engaging member 48c is disposed at a position substantially coincident with the axis 53a of the main body developing coupling 53, the mounting in a state where the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer belt 5a are not rubbed is described. It becomes possible. Here, the distance between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k with the protective cover 70 removed is D7.

  In the above configuration, the distance D6 between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k when the process cartridge 7 is not used is made smaller than D7, so that the fitting amount of each engaging portion of the Oldham coupling 48 can be increased, which is strong in physical distribution. Even when an impact is applied, the Oldham coupling 48 is not disengaged.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the position of the driving side engaging member 48c is regulated by the protective cover 70 when the process cartridge 7 is not used has been described. However, as a configuration for regulating the position of the driving side engaging member 48c, It is not limited to. For example, when the protective cover 70 that protects the photosensitive drum 1 is not provided, other parts to be removed when the process cartridge 7 is used (for example, a separation holding member) or a dedicated regulating member may be provided. The effect can be demonstrated.

(Example 2)
Next, the operation of Oldham coupling when the cartridge according to the second embodiment is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the basic configuration of the apparatus of this embodiment is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and thus a duplicate description is omitted. Here, a configuration that is a feature of this embodiment will be described. Moreover, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member which has the same function as embodiment mentioned above.

  FIG. 14A is a view of the state in which the process cartridge 7 is mounted toward the rear plate 83 in the mounting direction (see FIG. 3A), as viewed from the back in the mounting direction, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which looked at Fig.14 (a) from the longitudinal direction side surface (arrow V4).

  As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the process cartridge 7 is not pressed by the moving member 84 in a state where the process cartridge 7 is being guided and attached to the guide member 81 of the apparatus main body 100A. For this reason, it is not completely positioned in the apparatus main body 100A. In this state, the development unit 4 is provided with a separation holding member 86 for holding the development unit 4 at a separation position for separating the development roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 1 in the state of the process cartridge 7 alone. Yes. As in the first embodiment, the developing unit 4 is urged by a pressure spring (not shown) in a direction in which the developing roller 25 abuts on the photosensitive drum 1 around the shaft 37. However, since the separation holding member 86 is engaged with the hole 27e provided on the side surface of the cleaning frame 27, the developing unit 4 is rotated in the direction of the arrow L about the shaft 37 and held in the separation position. Yes. The position of the separation holding member 86 at this time is set as an engagement position.

  However, the engaging portion bearing member 49 is urged by the urging member 54 in the crossing direction (the direction of arrow I in the figure) with respect to the axis 25k of the developing roller 25. Therefore, the contact portion 49b of the engagement portion bearing member 49 comes into contact with the holding portion 27f provided on the cleaning frame 27 of the process cartridge 7, and the position of the engagement portion bearing member 49 is determined. Therefore, the axis (rotation center) 48c5 of the driving side engaging member 48c and the axis 25k of the developing roller are arranged at a shifted position. As in the first embodiment, the photosensitive drum 1 and the developing roller 25 are lowered so that the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer belt 5a do not slide when the process cartridge 7 enters the apparatus main body 100A. It is necessary to keep it. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, when the process cartridge 7 is positioned on the main body positioning portions 82a and 83a, the main body developing coupling 53 is provided so that the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 and the axis 53a substantially coincide with each other. It has been.

  The holding portion 27f is provided on the cleaning frame 27 to which the photosensitive drum 1 is attached, and a contact portion 49b is in contact with the holding portion 27f and positioned. For this reason, the engaging portion bearing member 49 is positioned with high positional accuracy with respect to the photosensitive drum 1 mounted with high positional accuracy with respect to the apparatus main body 100A. That is, in this state, as shown in FIG. 14B, if the process cartridge 7 is further advanced, the drive shaft engaging member 48c can be easily engaged with the main body developing coupling 53. This is because the axis 48b5 of the drive side engaging member 48c is disposed at a substantially coincident position. That is, when the process cartridge 7 enters the apparatus main body 100A, the drive side engaging member 48c is held by the holding portion 27f so that the axis 48c5 is closer to the axis 53a of the main body development coupling 53 than the axis 25k. Is positioned. Here, the distance between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 is set to S1. Then, by positioning the engaging portion 48c on the holding portion 27f, a large guide for engaging the engaging portion 48c and the main body developing coupling 53 is not provided, and the process cartridge 7 and the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 100 can be reduced in size. Can be realized.

  FIG. 15A is a view of the state in which the process cartridge 7 is mounted until it abuts against the rear plate 83 in the mounting direction (see FIG. 3B) as viewed from the back in the mounting direction. And FIG.15 (b) is sectional drawing which looked at Fig.15 (a) from the longitudinal direction side surface (arrow V5).

  In the state shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the moving member 84 is not pressed. For this reason, the process cartridge 7 is not positioned by the main body positioning portions 82a and 83a of the apparatus main body 100A, and the photosensitive drum 1 is in a state of being separated from the transfer belt 5a. At this time, the axial line 53a of the main body developing coupling 53 and the axial line 25k of the developing roller 25 are shifted from each other.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 15B, when the projections 48c1 to 48c3 and the holes 53b1 to 53b3 are out of phase, the contact portion 49b is replaced with the main body locking member 85 instead of the holding portion 27f. Abutting and positioning. When the contact portion 49b is positioned by the main body locking member 85, the contact portion 49b is guided by the inclined surface 85a provided at the tip of the main body locking member 85 to be in the state shown in FIG. Therefore, the contact part 49b is separated from the holding part 27f. Here, the driving-side engaging member 48c of the Oldham coupling 48 is rotatably fitted to the engaging portion bearing member 49. Therefore, the driving side engaging member 48 c is positioned on the main body locking member 85 via the engaging portion bearing member 49. Therefore, when the distance between the axis 48c5 here and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 is S2, S2 is smaller than S1 described above.

  The main body developing coupling 53 is pushed by the protrusions 48c1 to 48c3 of the driving side engaging member 48c and is retracted in the arrow J direction (axial direction) in the figure.

  Further, in the state where the process cartridge 7 is mounted up to the rear plate 83 (see FIG. 3), the phase of the projections 48c1 to 48c3 and the holes 53b1 to 53b3 is the same as the case of FIG. It is omitted here.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, the apparatus main body 100A is provided with a main body releasing member 87 that comes into contact with the separation holding member 86 when the process cartridge 7 is attached to the apparatus main body 100A in the longitudinal direction. Then, before the process cartridge 7 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100A and positioned on the main body positioning portions 82b and 83a, the main body release member 87 contacts the separation holding member 86, so that the separation holding member 86 and the hole 27e are engaged. Is configured to cancel. The position of the separation holding member 86 at this time is set as a release position. When the spacing member 86 is released, the developing unit 4 moves to the contact position, and the developing roller 25 can come into contact with the photosensitive drum 1. However, in a state where the normal process cartridge 7 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100A, the separation mechanism 91 provided on the apparatus main body 100A is disposed at a position where the separation mechanism 91 contacts the force receiving portion 31b of the developing device frame 31. Therefore, even if the process cartridge 7 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100A and the separation holding member 86 is released, the developing roller 25 does not come into contact with the photosensitive drum 1.

  FIG. 16A is a view of the state in which the process cartridge 7 is pressed by the moving member 84 and is positioned by the main body positioning portions 82a and 83a on the apparatus main body 100A as viewed from the back in the mounting direction. FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 16A viewed from the longitudinal side surface (arrow V6).

  As shown in FIG. 16A, the cleaning frame 27 of the process cartridge 7 receives a force from the moving member 84 and is urged in the arrow I direction. As a result, the cartridge positioning portion 27g1 contacts the abutting portion 83a of the rear plate of the apparatus main body 100A, the process cartridge 7 is positioned by the apparatus main body 100A, and the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer belt 5a contact each other. Here, the cartridge positioning portion 27g1 is a part of a drum bearing 27g provided on the cleaning frame 27 and rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum 1. Further, the contact portion 49b of the engagement portion bearing member 49 is contacted and locked to the main body locking member 85, or is provided on the main body developing coupling 53 and the protrusion 48c4 provided on the driving side engaging member 48c. The drive-side engagement member 48c is positioned by fitting with the formed hole 53b4. For this reason, even if the process cartridge 7 moves in the direction of arrow I, the drive side engaging member 48c is held at the position shown in FIG. 14 and does not move together with the process cartridge 7. Therefore, the main body locking member 85 is positioned on the downstream side of the main body developing coupling 53 in the moving direction (arrow I direction) in which the process cartridge 7 moves. If the distance between the axis 48c5 here and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 is S3, S3 is smaller than S1 and S2 described above.

  Further, the force receiving portion 31b provided in the developing unit 4 is also maintained in the state where the force is received from the separating mechanism 91 in the direction of the arrow N, so that the developing unit 4 is separated from the photosensitive drum 1 at the separated position. Maintained.

  FIG. 17A is a view of the cartridge in which the developing unit 4 is rotated by the operation of the separation mechanism 91 and moved to the contact position where the developing roller 25 contacts the photosensitive drum 1 as viewed from the back in the mounting direction. FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 17A viewed from the side surface in the longitudinal direction (arrow V7).

As shown in FIG. 17A, since the separation mechanism 91 moves in the direction of arrow P and separates from the force receiving portion 31b of the development unit 4, the development unit 4 is driven by the force of the pressure spring 38 (see FIG. 2). Rotates about the shaft 37 in the arrow Q direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 17B, the developing unit 4 moves to a contact position where the photosensitive drum 1 and the developing roller 25 are in contact with each other. In addition, the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 also comes to a position that substantially coincides with the axis 53a of the main body developing coupling 53. If the distance between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 is S4, S4 is smaller than S1, S2, and S3 described above.
Next, FIG. 18A is a diagram illustrating a state in which the process cartridge 7 is viewed from the back in the mounting direction during image formation. FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 18A viewed from the longitudinal side surface (arrow V8).

  Here, when the projections 48c1 to 48c3 and the holes 53b1 to 53b3 are out of phase, the main body development coupling 53 is rotated so that the projections 48c1 to 48c3 are in phase with the holes 53b1 to 53b3. Therefore, the main body developing coupling 53 and the driving side engaging member 48c are engaged, and the driving rotational force (second driving rotational force) of the apparatus main body 100A is transmitted to the developing roller 25. In this state, the protrusion 48c5 provided integrally with the driving side engaging member 48c and the hole 53b4 provided in the main body developing coupling 53 are fitted, and the axis 53a of the main body developing coupling 53 and the axis of the driving side engaging member 48c are fitted. (Rotation center) 48c5 matches. Similarly, the axis (rotation center) 25k of the developing roller 25 substantially coincides with the axis 53a. Then, the contact portion 49 b of the engagement portion bearing member 49 is in a state of being separated from the main body locking portion 85.

  As described above, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, even if the process cartridge 7 is mounted in a state where the photosensitive drum and the developing roller 25 are separated from each other, the shaft coupling member 48 can be smoothly installed. The engaging portion 48c and the main body developing coupling 53 are engaged with each other, so that the mountability is improved.

  Next, referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, a configuration for restricting the position of the Oldham coupling when the process cartridge is not used according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 19A is a side view of the process cartridge with the protective cover attached, and FIG. 19B is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge with the protective cover attached. FIG. 20A is a side view of the process cartridge with the protective cover removed, and FIG. 20B is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge with the protective cover removed.

  As shown in FIG. 19A, in the process cartridge 7 according to the present embodiment, the developing unit 4 is rotatable about the shaft 37 (37R, 37L) to the cleaning frame 27 of the photosensitive unit 26. It is supported by. A pressing member 38 (see FIG. 2) for bringing the developing roller 25 into contact with the photosensitive drum 1 is provided between the cleaning frame 27 and the developing frame 31. In the developing unit 4, a separation holding member 86 is rotatably provided at a portion facing the photosensitive drum 1 with the shaft 37 interposed therebetween. When the process cartridge 7 is not used, the separation holding member 86 is engaged with the hole 27e on the side surface of the cleaning frame 27, and the developing roller 25 is held in a state of being separated from the photosensitive drum 1. When the process cartridge 7 is not used, a protective cover 70 for protecting the photosensitive drum 1 is attached as in the first embodiment.

  Here, the attachment / detachment configuration of the cartridge main body 7A of the protective cover 70 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and is omitted here.

  FIGS. 19A and 19B show how the protective cover 70 is attached to the cartridge 7A. Also in the present embodiment, the hooking claws 70c1 to c4 of the protective cover 70 are respectively attached to the frame hook nail 27c of the cleaning frame 27, and the hooking claws 70d1 and 70d2 are respectively attached to the frame hooks 27d1 and 27d2. The protective cover 70 is fixed by engaging. At this time, an abutting portion (not shown) of the protective cover 70 abuts against the drum bearing 27 g provided on the cleaning frame 27. As a result, a predetermined distance is maintained between the photosensitive drum 1 and the protective cover 70, thereby preventing the protective cover 70 from contacting the photosensitive drum 1 (FIG. 19A).

  When the protective cover 70 is attached to the cartridge main body 7A, the restricting surface 70h of the protective cover 70 is in contact with the engaging portion bearing member 49 as shown in FIG. Therefore, since the driving side engaging member 48c is pushed down via the engaging portion bearing member 49, the amount of deviation between the axis 48c5 of the driving side engaging member 48c and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 is small. That is, the fitting amount of the rib 48a1 of the driven side engaging member 48a and the groove 48ba1 of the intermediate engaging member 48b shown in FIG. 5, and the rib 48c6 of the driving side engaging member 48c and the groove 48bc1 of the intermediate engaging member 48b are shown. The amount of fitting is large. Here, the distance between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k in a state where the protective cover 70 is attached is S6.

  Next, when the process cartridge 7 is used, that is, when the process cartridge 7 is attached to the apparatus main body 100A, the cartridge main body 7A is pulled by pulling the handle 70g of the protective cover 70 shown in FIG. The protective cover 70 is removed. At this time, the axis 48c5 of the drive side engaging member 48c is positioned on the holding portion 27f of the cleaning frame 27 via the engaging portion bearing member 49, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the axis 48c5 of the driving side engaging member 48c is disposed at a position substantially coincident with the axis 53a of the main body developing coupling 53. Therefore, even in the process cartridge 7 in which the developing roller 25 is held in a state of being separated from the photosensitive drum 1 by the above-described separation holding member 86, the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer belt 5a are not rubbed. Can be installed. Here, the distance between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k with the protective cover 70 removed is S7.

  In the above configuration, the fitting amount of each engaging portion of the Oldham coupling 48 can be increased by making the distance D6 between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k when the process cartridge 7 is not used smaller than D7. Therefore, the Oldham coupling 48 is not disengaged even when a strong impact is applied in logistics.

  In the present embodiment, the process cartridge 7 can be mounted in a position where the process cartridge 7 is retracted from the transfer belt 5 a and the developing roller 25 is separated from the photosensitive drum 1. Therefore, the distance S7 between the axis 48c5 of the driving side engaging member 48c and the axis 25k of the developing roller 25 when the process cartridge 7 is used is larger than the distance D7 between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k of the first embodiment. However, by changing the height of the regulating surface 70h of the protective cover 70, the driving side engaging member 48c can be regulated to a predetermined position regardless of the distance between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k. Therefore, even when the distance between the axis 48c5 and the axis 25k when using the process cartridge 7 is large, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the position of the drive side engagement member 48c is restricted by the protective cover 70 when the process cartridge 7 is not used has been described. It is not limited to. For example, when the protective cover 70 that protects the photosensitive drum 1 is not provided, other parts to be removed when the process cartridge 7 is used (for example, a separation holding member) or a dedicated regulating member may be provided. The effect can be demonstrated.

In addition, although both 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment demonstrated using the process cartridge, what is necessary is just a cartridge which can be attached or detached to apparatus main body 100A.
Although both the first embodiment and the second embodiment have been described using the developing roller as the rotating member, the invention can also be applied to the photosensitive drum 1.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photosensitive drum 1c Drum coupling 4 Developing unit 5 Intermediate transfer unit 5a Intermediate transfer belt 7 Process cartridge 25 Developing roller 25k Axis 26 Drum unit 27 Cleaning frame 27Ld, 27Rd Pressed part 27Re, 27Le Positioning part 27b Guided part 27c Abutting portion 27g Drum bearing 27f Holding portion 31 Developing frame 48a Drive side engaging member 48a1 Rib 48b Intermediate engaging member 48ba1 Groove 48c Driving side engaging member 49 Engaging portion bearing member 53 Main body developing coupling 53b1, 53b2, 53b3 hole 54 Energizing member 66 Drum drive coupling 66a Hole 70 Protective cover 70c1 to c4, d1, d2 Hook claw 70h Restricting surface 84R, 84L Moving member 100A Image forming apparatus

Claims (6)

In the cartridge detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a main body driving force transmission member that is rotatable to transmit the driving force,
The cartridge body,
A rotatable rotating member;
A shaft coupling member that is provided at one end of the rotating member in the axial direction and transmits the driving force to the rotating member while allowing a deviation between the axis of the main body driving force transmitting member and the axis of the rotating member; A driving-side engaging member that is engageable with the main body driving force transmission member to receive the driving force from the main body driving force transmission member and is movable in a direction intersecting the axis of the rotating member; and the driving force A driven-side engaging member for transmitting the rotation to the rotating member, and a shaft coupling member,
A biasing member for biasing the driving side engaging member to position the axis of the driving side engaging member at a reference position away from the axis of the driven side engaging member;
It is detachable to the cartridge body, to regulate the axis of the driving-side engaging member against the urging force of the urging member at a position closer to the axis of the driven-side engaging member than the reference position A regulating member;
Having a cartridge. The cartridge has an electrophotographic photosensitive member on which a latent image is formed,
The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the restriction member has a cover portion that covers at least a part of the electrophotographic photosensitive member.   The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is a developer carrying member that carries a developer. The cartridge is configured to be positioned on the apparatus main body by moving in the crossing direction intersecting the axial direction after entering the apparatus main body along the axial direction of the rotating member,
The cartridge is entering the apparatus main body along the axial direction, when said driving-side engaging member is brought into contact with the main assembly driving force transmission member, the axis of the driving-side engaging member located at the reference position 4. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge is positioned on substantially the same straight line as an axis of the main body driving force transmission member. 5. The shaft coupling member has an intermediate engagement member that connects the drive side engagement member and the driven side engagement member;
The intermediate engaging member is configured to be movable with respect to the driven side engaging member, and the driving side engaging member is configured to be movable with respect to the intermediate engaging member, so that the moving directions are orthogonal to each other. 5. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge is configured as follows. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a recording medium,
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body having a main body driving force transmission member rotatable to transmit a driving force;
A cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising: