JP6638280B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an image forming apparatus, there is an image forming apparatus that includes a photosensitive drum and a developing device, and is configured such that the photosensitive drum and the developing device are detachable from an image forming apparatus main body integrally or separately. In such an image forming apparatus, as a technique for positioning a developing roll of a developing device with respect to a photosensitive drum, for example, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been already proposed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-163873 separately includes a drum unit having a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and a developing unit having a developing roll for supplying a developer to the surface of the photosensitive drum. In an image forming apparatus that transfers a developer image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum to a recording medium by a photographic method, the positioning unit performs positioning of the development roll with respect to the photoconductor drum. The developing roller and the photosensitive drum are kept separated from each other with a substantially constant gap until just before the mounting of the developing unit to be inserted and mounted in the apparatus along the axial direction is completed. A guide member for positioning the developing roll closer to the photosensitive drum when the mounting is completed, and a guide member for positioning the developing unit. A pressing mechanism for elastically pressing the image unit on the photosensitive drum direction, and space restricting member for restricting the gap between the photosensitive drum and the developing roller, which is constituted to include.

JP 2009-139518 A

  The present invention has a simple configuration as compared with a case where a guide member for positioning the developing unit close to the image holding member and a pressing mechanism for elastically pressing the developing unit toward the image holding member are provided. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to suppress a variation in a gap holding force for holding a gap between a developing unit and an image holding member.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus is provided detachably with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and is movable in a direction in which the image holding body holds at least an electrostatic latent image. A detachable structure including a developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image of the image holding member with a developer,
A connecting member that is provided at an end of the developer conveying unit that conveys the developer to the developing unit in the image forming apparatus main body and that is connected to the developing unit so that the developer can be supplied to the developing unit; ,
With
The connecting member, when the detachable structure is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, is inclined by a boss provided on the connecting member as a fulcrum by being pushed by the developing means, and moves the developing means to the This is an image forming apparatus that guides in a direction to approach the image holding member.

  In the invention described in claim 2, the tip of the detachable structure along the mounting direction of the developing unit abuts on a central portion of the connecting member along a direction intersecting the mounting direction, and The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the member rotates so as to guide the developing unit in a direction to approach the image holding member.

The invention according to claim 3 further includes a developer transport unit that transports a developer to the developing unit,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is disposed at an end of the developer conveying unit on the developing unit side.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a case is provided in which a guide member that positions the developing unit close to the image holding member and a pressing mechanism that elastically presses the developing unit toward the image holding member are provided. As compared with the above, it is possible to suppress a change in the gap holding force for holding the gap between the developing unit and the image holding member with a simple configuration.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, the leading end of the detachable structure along the mounting direction of the developing means does not contact the central portion along the direction intersecting the mounting direction of the connecting member. As a result, it is possible to reliably guide the developing unit in a direction in which the developing unit approaches the image holding member.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to avoid an increase in the number of parts as compared with a case where the connecting member is not disposed at the end of the developer conveying unit on the developing unit side.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating an image forming unit of the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating a process cartridge. FIG. 2 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a process cartridge. FIG. 4 is a rear view illustrating the process cartridge. FIG. 2 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a process cartridge. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a mounting portion of a process cartridge. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a mounting portion of a process cartridge. FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a mounting portion of a process cartridge. FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a main part of a mounting portion of the process cartridge. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating a main part of a mounting portion of a process cartridge. FIG. 2 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a toner conveying device. FIG. 2 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a toner conveying device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating a toner conveying device. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a main part of the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a sectional configuration diagram illustrating a main part of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting portion of the holder member. FIG. 2A is a top perspective view showing the holder member, and FIG. 2B is a bottom perspective view showing the holder member. FIG. 2A is a top perspective view showing the main body of the holder member, FIG. 2B is a bottom perspective view showing the main body of the holder member, and FIG. 2C is a plan view showing the main body of the holder member. FIG. 1 is a sectional configuration diagram illustrating a main part of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a front end of the developing device, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing a state in which a shutter member at the front end of the developing device is opened. FIG. 2A is a front view showing a state before the developing device and the holder member are mounted, and FIG. 2B is a front view showing a state after the mounting of the developing device and the holder member. FIG. 4 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a mounted state of a holder member. FIG. 7A is a front configuration diagram showing a mounting state of a holder member, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing a mounting state of a developing device and a holder member. FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a mounted state of a process cartridge and a holder member. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating a mounting state of a developing device and a holder member. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing a mounting state of the developing device and the holder member, and FIG. 3B is a vertical cross-sectional configuration diagram showing a mounting state of the developing device and the holder member. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of the image forming apparatus in a comparative example.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 shows an overall outline of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows an enlarged main part (an image forming apparatus and the like) of the image forming apparatus.

<Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus>
The image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is configured as, for example, a color printer. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses 10 that form toner images to be developed with toner constituting the developer 4, and holds the toner images formed by each of the image forming apparatuses 10, and finally holds the toner images. An intermediate transfer device 20 that conveys to a secondary transfer position where secondary transfer is performed on recording paper 5 as an example of a recording medium, and necessary recording paper 5 to be supplied to the secondary transfer position of intermediate transfer device 20 is accommodated and conveyed And a fixing device 40 for fixing the toner image on the recording sheet 5 secondary-transferred by the intermediate transfer device 20. Note that reference numeral 1a in the drawing denotes a main body of the image forming apparatus 1, and the main body 1a is formed of a support structure member, an outer cover, and the like.

  The image forming apparatus 10 includes four image forming apparatuses 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K that form toner images of four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. It is configured. These four image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, K) are arranged so as to be arranged in a line in an inclined state in the internal space of the main body 1a.

  Each of the image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, and K) includes a rotating photosensitive drum 11 as an example of an image holding member, as shown in FIGS. Each device as an example of the following toner image forming means is mainly disposed around the image forming apparatus. The main devices are a charging device 12 as an example of a charging unit that charges a peripheral surface (image holding surface) of the photoconductor drum 11 on which an image can be formed to a required potential, and a charged peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 11. Exposure device 13 as an example of an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image (for each color) having a potential difference by irradiating a surface with light based on image information (signal), and the electrostatic latent image Developing unit 14 (Y, M, C, K) as an example of a developing unit that develops a toner image by developing toner with developer 4 of a corresponding color (Y, M, C, K), and each toner A primary transfer device 15 (Y, M, C, K) as an example of a primary transfer unit for transferring an image to the intermediate transfer device 20; and toner remaining on the image holding surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after the primary transfer Cleaning device 1 as an example of a cleaning unit that removes extraneous matter such as dust and performs cleaning. Is (Y, M, C, K) and the like.

  The photoconductor drum 11 is formed by forming an image holding surface having a photoconductive layer (photosensitive layer) made of a photosensitive material on a peripheral surface of a cylindrical or columnar base material to be grounded. The photoconductor drum 11 is supported so that power is transmitted from a rotation driving device (not shown) and the photoconductor drum 11 rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow A.

  The charging device 12 is configured by a contact-type charging roll that is disposed in contact with the photosensitive drum 11. The charging device 12 is supplied with a charging voltage. When the developing device 14 performs reversal development, a voltage or current having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the toner supplied from the developing device 14 is supplied as the charging voltage. In addition, as the charging device 12, a non-contact type charging device such as a scorotron arranged in a non-contact state on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 may be used.

  The exposing device 13 forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating the peripheral surface of the charged photosensitive drum 11 with light configured according to image information input to the image forming apparatus 1. Things. When the latent image is formed, information (signal) of an image input to the image forming apparatus 1 by any means is transmitted to the exposure device 13.

  The exposure device 13 irradiates the photosensitive drum 11 with light according to image information by a plurality of light emitting elements (LEDs) arranged along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11 to emit an electrostatic latent image. Of an LED print head. In addition, as the exposure device 13, a device that deflects and scans a laser beam configured according to image information along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11 may be used.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the developing device 14 (Y, M, C, and K) includes the developer 4 inside the housing 140 in which the opening and the chamber for storing the developer 4 are formed. A first and a second agitating transport such as a developing roll 141 that transports the developer 4 to the developing area facing the photoconductor drum 11 and transports the developer 4 so as to pass through the developing roll 141 while agitating the developer 4. It is configured by arranging members 142 and 143 and a layer thickness regulating member 144 that regulates the amount (layer thickness) of the developer held on the developing roll 141. A developing voltage is supplied to the developing device 14 between the developing roll 141 and the photosensitive drum 11 from a power supply device (not shown). The developing roll 141 and the stirring and conveying members 142 and 143 are rotated in a required direction by receiving power from a rotation driving device (not shown). Further, as the four color developers 4 (Y, M, C, K), a two-component developer containing a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier is used. A developer containing at least toner is supplied to the developing device 14 at a required timing by a developer conveying device described later. As the four color developers 4 (Y, M, C, K), a one-component developer composed of only toner may be used.

  The primary transfer device 15 (Y, M, C, K) is a contact type including a primary transfer roll that rotates while contacting the periphery of the photosensitive drum 11 via an intermediate transfer belt 21 and is supplied with a primary transfer voltage. Transfer device. As the primary transfer voltage, a DC voltage indicating a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is supplied from a power supply device (not shown).

  As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drum cleaning device 16 includes a container-shaped main body 160 that partially opens to cover a region extending below the charging device 12, and a photoconductor drum 11 after the primary transfer. A cleaning plate 161 which is disposed so as to come into contact with the peripheral surface at a required pressure to remove and clean extraneous matter such as residual toner; and collects extraneous matter such as toner removed by the cleaning plate 161 to a collection system (not shown). It is composed of a delivery member 162 such as a screw auger or the like for carrying out the delivery. As the cleaning plate 161, a plate-like member (for example, a blade) made of a material such as rubber is used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer device 20 is arranged so as to exist at a position above each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K). The intermediate transfer device 20 includes an intermediate transfer belt 21 that rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow B while passing through a primary transfer position between the photosensitive drum 11 and a primary transfer device 15 (primary transfer roll). And a plurality of belt support rolls 22 to 26 for holding the roller in a desired state from its inner surface and rotatably supporting the belt, and disposed on the outer peripheral surface (image holding surface) side of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support roll 25. A secondary transfer device 30 as an example of a secondary transfer unit that secondary-transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 onto the recording paper 5, and an outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after passing through the secondary transfer device 30 And a belt cleaning device 27 as an example of a belt cleaning means for removing and cleaning the adhered matter such as toner and paper dust remaining on the surface of the image forming apparatus.

  As the intermediate transfer belt 21, an endless belt made of a material in which a resistance adjuster such as carbon black is dispersed in a synthetic resin such as a polyimide resin or a polyamide resin is used. Further, the belt support roll 25 is configured as a drive roll rotated by a drive device (not shown) and a backup roll for secondary transfer, and the belt support roll 22 is configured as a tension applying roll that applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 21. The belt support rolls 23 and 24 are configured as driven rolls that hold the running position of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the like, and the belt support roll 26 is configured as a support roll that supports the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 that is cleaned by the belt cleaning device 27. Have been.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the secondary transfer device 30 moves the intermediate transfer belt 21 at a secondary transfer position, which is the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support roll 25 in the intermediate transfer device 20. This is a contact-type transfer device provided with a secondary transfer roll 31 that rotates while being in contact with the peripheral surface and is supplied with a secondary transfer voltage. A DC voltage having a polarity opposite to or the same as the charge polarity of the toner is supplied to the secondary transfer roll 31 or the support roll 25 of the intermediate transfer device 20 as a secondary transfer voltage.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the belt cleaning device 27 is configured similarly to the drum cleaning device 16, and includes a container-shaped main body 270 that is partially open and a peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the secondary transfer. And a cleaning plate 271 that is disposed so as to be in contact with the pressure of 2. The cleaning plate 271 removes and removes extraneous matter such as residual toner. It is composed of a delivery member 272 such as a screw auger. As the cleaning plate 271, a plate-like member (for example, a blade) made of a material such as rubber is used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing device 40 includes a drum-shaped or belt-shaped heating rotator 41 heated by a heating unit so that the surface temperature is maintained at a required temperature, and a heating rotator 41 of the heating rotator 41. A drum-shaped or belt-shaped pressurizing rotating body 42 and the like are arranged so as to rotate in contact with a predetermined pressure in a state substantially along the axial direction. In the fixing device 40, a contact portion where the heating rotator 41 and the pressing rotator 42 come into contact is a fixing processing unit that performs required fixing processing (heating and pressing).

  The paper feeding device 50 is arranged so as to be present at a position below the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K). Is done. The paper feeding device 50 includes a single (or plural) paper container 51 for accommodating the recording paper 5 of a desired size, type, and the like in a stacked state, and sending out the recording paper 5 one by one from the paper container 51. It mainly comprises devices 52 and 53. The paper container 51 is attached so that it can be pulled out, for example, to the front side (the side surface facing the user during operation) of the main body 1a, in the illustrated example, to the left side.

  Examples of the recording paper 5 include plain paper and OHP sheets used in electrophotographic copying machines and printers. In order to further improve the smoothness of the image surface after fixing, it is preferable that the surface of the recording medium 5 is as smooth as possible. For example, coated paper in which the surface of plain paper is coated with resin or the like, art paper for printing, etc. So-called cardboard having a relatively large basis weight can also be used.

  Between the paper feeding device 50 and the secondary transfer device 30, a single (or plural) paper transport roll pair 54 and a transport guide 55 for transporting the recording paper 5 sent from the paper feeding device 50 to the secondary transfer position are provided. Is provided. The paper transport roll pair 54 is configured as, for example, a roll (registration roll) that adjusts the transport timing of the recording paper 5. Further, between the secondary transfer device 30 and the fixing device 40, a transport guide for transporting the recording paper 5 after the secondary transfer sent from the secondary transfer roll 31 of the secondary transfer device 30 to the fixing device 40. 57, 58, etc. are provided. Further, in the portion near the paper discharge port of the image forming apparatus main body 1a, the fixed recording paper 5 sent out from the fixing device 40 is transferred to the paper discharge section 60 provided at the upper part of the main body 1a along the conveyance guide 59. A paper discharge roll pair 61 for discharging is arranged.

  A switching gate 62 for switching the sheet transport path is provided between the fixing device 40 and the sheet discharge roll pair 61. The paper discharge roll pair 61 can switch its rotation direction between a normal rotation direction (discharge direction) and a reverse rotation direction. When images are formed on both sides of the recording sheet 5, after the rear end of the recording sheet 5 having the image formed on one side passes through the switching gate 62, the rotation direction of the sheet discharge roll pair 61 is changed to the normal rotation direction (discharge direction). Direction) to the reverse direction. The recording paper 5 conveyed in the reverse rotation direction by the paper discharge roll pair 61 is conveyed by a switching gate 62 to a double-sided conveyance path 63 formed substantially in the vertical direction. The double-sided conveyance path 63 includes a paper conveyance roll pair 64 that conveys the recording paper 5 to the paper conveyance roll pair 54 in a state where the recording paper 5 is turned upside down, and conveyance guides 65 to 68 and the like.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 70 denotes a manual feed tray provided on the front (left side in the figure) of the image forming apparatus main body 1a so as to be openable and closable. A feeding device 71 that feeds out the recording papers 5 stored in the manual feed tray 70 one by one, and a manual paper feed path 76 including a plurality of paper feed roll pairs 72 to 74 and a feed guide 75 are provided.

  In FIG. 1, reference numerals 145 (Y, M, C, and K) denote at least toners that are arranged in a plurality in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface and supplied to the corresponding developing devices 14 (Y, M, C, and K). 1 illustrates toner cartridges as an example of a developer storage container that stores a developer including the toner cartridge.

  Reference numeral 100 in FIG. 1 indicates a control device that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 as a whole. The control device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a bus connecting these CPUs and the ROM, and the like, and a communication interface (not shown).

<Configuration of process cartridge>
By the way, in this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 11 and an image forming means including a charging device 12, a developing device 14, and a drum cleaning device 16 disposed around the photosensitive drum 11 are integrally unitized. The process cartridge 80 is an example of a detachable structure (image forming unit). The exposure device 13 is unitized separately from the process cartridge 80.

  4 is an external perspective view of the process cartridge 80 as viewed obliquely from the front side along the mounting direction, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the process cartridge 80 as viewed from the front end (rear side) along the mounting direction. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the process cartridge 80 as viewed from obliquely below the front end (rear side) along the mounting direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the process cartridge 80 is an example of an image forming unit main body in which the photosensitive drum 11, the charging device 12, the developing device 14, and the drum cleaning device 16 are integrally unitized and mounted. A process cartridge body 81 is provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the process cartridge main body 81 is disposed at the housing 140 of the developing device 14, the main body 160 of the drum cleaning device 16, and at the front and rear ends along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80. Frame members 82 and 83a.

  The photosensitive drum 11 is rotatably mounted on the frame members 82 and 83a of the process cartridge main body 81. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the housing 140 of the developing device 14 is swingably attached to the process cartridge body 81 with the swing fulcrum 146 as a fulcrum. The developing roll 141 is swingable in a direction in which the developing roll 141 comes into contact with and separates from the photosensitive drum 11. Further, the developing device 14 has an elasticity such as a coil spring that is stretched between the housing 140 of the developing device 14 and the frame members 82 and 83a of the process cartridge body 81 on which the photosensitive drum 11 is rotatably mounted. The member 147 is configured such that a tracking roll (not shown) serving as a gap setting member disposed at both ends along the axial direction of the developing roll 141 abuts on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. With such a configuration, a gap (DRS: Drum to Roll Space) between the photosensitive drum 11 and the developing roll 141 is accurately set to a required value. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a first driving force transmitting unit 77 that transmits a driving force to the photosensitive drum 11 and a developing roller 141 are provided on the end surface on the front end side along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80. And a second driving force transmitting portion 78 that transmits the driving force to the first and second protruding portions.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the process cartridge 80 is removably mounted in the unit mounting portion 90 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1a along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11.

  Inside the image forming apparatus main body 1a, a unit mounting section 90 is disposed above the manual paper conveyance path 76. The unit mounting section 90 is provided on the front of the image forming apparatus main body 1a in correspondence with the process cartridges 80 (Y, M, C, K) for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). And four cartridge support portions 91 (Y, M, C, K) extending in the left-right direction with respect to In the image forming apparatus 10 (Y, M, C, K) composed of the process cartridges 80 (Y, M, C, K), the yellow (Y) side is relatively high as shown in FIG. , The black (K) side is relatively inclined. Therefore, the four cartridge support parts 91 (Y, M, C, K) are relatively higher on the yellow (Y) cartridge support part 91Y side, following the image forming apparatus 10 (Y, M, C, K). The black (K) cartridge support portion 91K is disposed in an inclined state so as to be relatively low. Further, the image forming apparatus 10 (Y, M, C, K) itself composed of each process cartridge 80 (Y, M, C, K) is relatively high on the left side in the figure and relatively low on the right side. The cartridge supporting portions 91 (Y, M, C, K) are mounted in an inclined state.

  The four cartridge supporting portions 91 (Y, M, C, K) are basically configured in the same manner. As shown in FIG. 7, the cartridge support portion 91 includes a mounting table 92 formed in a stepped height so as to mount the exposure device 13 unitized separately from the process cartridge 80, and a process cartridge of the mounting table 92. The lower surface of the process cartridge 80 that is provided one step lower in a concave shape adjacent to the side along the direction (Y direction) crossing the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80 and corresponds to the developing device 14 to be attached and detached is guided. A guide surface 93 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the cartridge support portion 91 has a shape protruding upward in an inverted L-shape at one end of the mounting table 92 along a direction intersecting the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80. A first guide portion 94 is provided, and a second guide portion 95 formed of a convex portion protruding from a side surface of the housing 13a of the unitized exposure apparatus 13 mounted on the mounting table 92.

  When the process cartridge 80 is mounted on the cartridge support portion 91, the first guide portion 94 of the cartridge support portion 91 is provided below the charging device 12 of the process cartridge 80 as shown in FIGS. The second guide portion 95 is inserted into the concave portion 83, and guides the process cartridge 80 by being inserted into the concave portion 84 provided on the inner surface of the developing device 14 of the process cartridge 80. On the other hand, the guide surface 93 of the cartridge support portion 91 guides the process cartridge 80 by accommodating the lower end of the developing device 14.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the process cartridge 80 may be erroneously mounted on a different cartridge support portion 91 at the front end of the cartridge support portion 91 along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80. In order to prevent this, a concave portion 96 (Y, M, C, K) of an incompatible shape is provided so that only the process cartridge 80 of the corresponding color can be mounted on the cartridge supporting portion 91. The recesses 96 (Y, M, C, K) of the incompatible shape are used for the process cartridges 80 (Y, M, C, K) for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The position along the direction (Y direction) intersecting with the mounting direction (X direction) is different for each. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, on the bottom surface of the frame member 82 provided at the front end in the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80, as shown in FIG. M, C, and K) are provided with protrusions 85 of an incompatible shape so that the protrusions 85 can be attached only to M, C, and K).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the image forming apparatus main body 1a has a first end of a photosensitive drum 11 provided in the process cartridge 80 at an end on the back side in the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. A positioning member 97 is provided that moves the front end of the process cartridge 80 to an operation position set upward to position the process cartridge 80 by relatively engaging with the driving force transmission unit 77. That is, the positioning member 97 of the image forming apparatus main body 1a causes the first driving force transmitting section 77 of the process cartridge 80 to be larger than the first driving force transmitting section 77 of the process cartridge 80 mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 1a. It is a member for positioning to an operation position set at a high position. As shown in FIG. 10, the positioning member 97 supports the first driving force transmission unit 77 of the photosensitive drum 11 below the front end in the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. It has a semicircular support member 98 and an elastic member 99 made of a coil spring for urging the support member 98 upward. When the first driving force transmission unit 77 of the process cartridge 80 comes into contact with the support member 98, the support member 98 is elastically displaced downward due to the weight of the process cartridge 80, so that the first member of the photosensitive drum 11 is displaced. This is a member for facilitating the positioning operation of inserting the driving force transmitting portion 77 into the positioning member 97.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the front end of the process cartridge 80 in the mounting direction (X direction) is moved up and down to move the front end of the process cartridge 80 to the upper operation position. A lever 86 is provided rotatably. As shown in FIG. 11, the lifting lever 86 is rotatably attached to the frame member 82 of the process cartridge 80 about a rotation shaft 861. Further, the lifting lever 86 has a butting portion 863 to which an elastic force is applied below the rotating shaft 861 in a direction away from the rotating shaft 861 via a coil spring 862.

  As shown in FIG. 8, before the process cartridge 80 is mounted in the required operation position, the elevating lever 86 is turned to a position in which the process lever 80 is tilted toward the front of the process cartridge 80. Then, after moving the process cartridge 80 to the operation position of the cartridge supporting portion 91, the elevating lever 86 rotates clockwise in the figure so as to be substantially parallel to the front end surface of the process cartridge 80 as shown in FIG. About 90 degrees. By this operation, the elevating lever 86 moves the end on the near side along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80 to the upper operating position by the lever principle with the rotation shaft 861 as the center. Note that, as described above, the inner end of the process cartridge 80 has already been moved to the upper operating position by the insertion of the first driving force transmission unit 77 into the positioning member 97. At this time, the photosensitive drum 11 of the process cartridge 80 is stopped at the operating position in contact with the primary transfer device 15 via the intermediate transfer belt 21, as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the upper end surface 82a of the frame member 82 on the near side along the mounting direction is formed on the front end along the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. It is positioned at the operating position by being abutted against the lower surface of the abutting portion 79 of the apparatus main body 1a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the process cartridge 80 is provided with a grip portion 87 that is gripped by a user when the process cartridge 80 is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1. The process cartridge 80 does not need to include the photosensitive drum 11 and all of the image forming members such as the charging device 12, the developing device 14, and the drum cleaning device 15 disposed around the photosensitive drum 11. The image forming member may be constituted by the photosensitive drum 11, the charging device 12 and the developing device 14, or may be constituted by the photosensitive drum 11 and the developing device 14.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the process cartridge 80 is supplied with a driving force and electric power from the image forming apparatus main body 1a side by being mounted at a required operation position of the image forming apparatus main body 1a.

<Operation of Image Forming Apparatus>
Hereinafter, a basic image forming operation by the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.

  Here, an operation of forming a full-color image formed by combining four color (Y, M, C, K) toner images using the four image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, K). Will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 1 receives four image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, and K) and receives an intermediate transfer. The device 20, the secondary transfer device 30, the fixing device 40, etc. are started.

  Then, in each of the image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, and K), first, each photoconductor drum 11 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow A, and each charging device 12 moves the surface of each photoconductor drum 11 to a required position. It is charged to a polarity (minus polarity in the first embodiment) and a potential, respectively. Subsequently, the exposure device 13 converts the information of the image input to the image forming apparatus 1 into the respective color components (Y, M, C, and K) on the charged surface of the photosensitive drum 11. Irradiates the light emitted based on the signals of the above, and forms an electrostatic latent image of each color component having a required potential difference on the surface thereof.

  Subsequently, each of the image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, and K) is charged to a required polarity (negative polarity) with respect to the electrostatic latent image of each color component formed on the photosensitive drum 11. The toners of the colors (Y, M, C, and K) are supplied from the developing rolls 141, respectively, and are electrostatically attached to perform development. As a result of this development, the electrostatic latent images of the respective color components formed on the respective photosensitive drums 11 are visualized as toner images of four colors (Y, M, C, K) respectively developed with the corresponding color toners. Be transformed into

  Subsequently, when the toner image of each color formed on the photosensitive drum 11 of each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K) is conveyed to the primary transfer position, the primary transfer device 15 causes The toner image is primarily transferred in such a manner that the toner image is sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 21 rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow B of the intermediate transfer device 20.

  In each of the image forming apparatuses 10 after the primary transfer, the drum cleaning device 16 removes the attached matter so as to scrape off and cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. Thereby, each image forming apparatus 10 is set to a state where the next image forming operation can be performed.

  Subsequently, the intermediate transfer device 20 holds the toner image primarily transferred by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and conveys the toner image to a secondary transfer position. On the other hand, the paper feeding device 50 sends out the required recording paper 5 to the paper feeding conveyance path 56 in accordance with the image forming operation. In the sheet feeding path 56, a sheet conveying roll pair 54 as a registration roll feeds and supplies the recording sheet 5 to a secondary transfer position in accordance with the transfer timing.

  At the secondary transfer position, the secondary transfer roll 31 of the secondary transfer device 30 collectively secondary-transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 onto the recording paper 5. In the intermediate transfer device 20 after the completion of the secondary transfer, the belt cleaning device 27 removes and removes extraneous matter such as toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the secondary transfer.

  Subsequently, the recording paper 5 on which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the secondary transfer roll 31 and then conveyed to the fixing device 40 via the conveyance guides 57 and 58. In the fixing device 40, the recording paper 5 after the secondary transfer is introduced and passed through a contact portion between the rotating heating rotator 41 and the pressing rotator 42, so that a necessary fixing process (heating and heating) is performed. Pressure) to fix the unfixed toner image on the recording paper 5. Finally, when the recording paper 5 after the fixing is completed has an image forming operation only for forming an image on one side thereof, the paper discharge roll pair 61 is used, for example, for the paper placed on the upper part of the main body 1a. It is discharged to the discharge unit 60.

  When images are formed on both sides of the recording paper 5, the recording paper 5 on which an image is formed on one side is not discharged to the paper discharge unit 60 by the paper discharge roll pair 61, and the recording paper 5 is While holding the rear end of the sheet No. 5, the rotation direction of the sheet discharge roll pair 61 is switched to the reverse direction. After the recording paper 5 conveyed in the reverse direction by the paper discharge roll pair 61 passes through the upper part of the switching gate 62, it passes through the paper conveyance roll pair 64 and the duplex conveyance path 63 provided with the conveyance guides 65 to 68 and the like. The sheet is conveyed to the sheet conveying roll pair 54 with the front and back reversed. The paper transport roll pair 54 sends out and supplies the recording paper 5 to the secondary transfer position in accordance with the transfer timing, forms an image on the back surface of the recording paper 5, and is installed at the upper part of the main body 1 a by the paper discharge roll pair 61. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge unit 60.

  By the above operation, the recording paper 5 on which the full-color image formed by combining the four color toner images is formed is output.

<Configuration of Characteristic Portion of Image Forming Apparatus>
As shown in FIG. 12, the image forming apparatus 1 develops the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, K). The device 14 includes a toner transport device 110 as an example of a developer transport device that transports a developer containing at least a toner of a corresponding color at a required timing. The toner conveying device 110 converts the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toners having different colors from each other into the corresponding yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) toners. And black (K) developing devices 14 (Y, M, C, K).

  In this embodiment, the developer transport device is configured to transport only the toner to the developing device 14. However, the developer transport device may be configured to transport the developer including the toner and the carrier to the developing device 14. At that time, the developer supplied to the developing device 14 has a higher toner concentration than the developer 4 in the developing device 14 as necessary.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the toner conveying device 110 includes a holding member 111 that holds the toner cartridge 145, and a developer conveying device that conveys toner from the toner cartridge 145 held by the holding member 111 to the developing device 14. And a toner conveying member 120 as an example of the means. Further, the toner conveying member 120 is provided at an end of the toner conveying member 120 on the developing device 14 side in a toner conveying direction (Z direction in the figure) and a direction intersecting the toner conveying direction (Y direction in the figure). And a holder member 130 as an example of a connecting member connected to the developing device 14 so that toner can be supplied thereto. The holding member 111, the toner conveying member 120, and the holder member 130 correspond to the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) developing devices 14 (Y, M, C, K). Each is provided.

  The holding members 111 for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) have the same configuration as shown in FIG. The holding member 111 has a mounting portion for mounting the toner cartridge 145 of the corresponding color in a fixed state. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a shutter member 146 for opening and closing the toner supply port 148 is slidably mounted on the inclined bottom surface of the holding member 111. The holding member 111 includes a driving member that rotatably drives a conveying member (not shown) for toner agitation and conveyance, which is rotatably provided inside the toner cartridge 145 at an end on the back side along the mounting direction of the toner cartridge 145. 147 are provided. The toner cartridge 145 is configured to open the toner supply port 148 and open a toner supply port (not shown) of the toner cartridge 145 by being mounted on a predetermined position of the holding member 111. A driving device 155 that rotationally drives the driving member 147 and rotationally drives the toner conveying member 120 is provided on the back side of the holding member 111 along the mounting direction of the toner cartridge 145.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the toner conveying member 120 includes a first toner conveying unit 121 that conveys toner along a longitudinal direction of the toner cartridge 145 to a lower end portion of the mounting member 111, and a first toner conveying unit 121. A second toner conveying unit 122 that conveys the toner from one end to an upper part of a position corresponding to an end along the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the developing device 14 of the image forming apparatus 10, and a second toner conveying unit 122. A third toner conveying unit 123 that conveys the toner downward from the tip of the toner conveying unit 122 to the developing device 14 along the vertical direction; It should be noted that the toner conveying member 120 corresponding to the yellow color has the toner conveying direction of the first toner conveying unit 121Y different from that of the other first toner conveying units 121M, 121C, and 121K due to the positional relationship of the yellow developing device 14Y. Is set in the opposite direction, and does not have the second toner conveying section 122, and is composed of only the first toner conveying section 121Y and the third toner conveying section 123Y. Further, the second and third toner conveying units 122 and 123 have different lengths due to the arrangement of the toner cartridge 145 and the developing device 14 of the process cartridge 80 of the corresponding color. The second and third toner conveying units 122M and 123M corresponding to the magenta color have the shortest length, and the second and third toner conveying units 122C and 123C and 122K and 123K corresponding to the cyan and black colors sequentially increase in length. Is set to be longer.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the first toner conveying unit 121 includes a first toner conveying path forming member 124 formed in a cylindrical shape and a rotatable inside of the first toner conveying path forming member 124. A first stirring and conveying member 125 made of a screw auger or the like arranged. The first toner transport path forming member 124 has a toner receiving port 124a opened at a position corresponding to the toner supply port 148. Further, the first toner conveying path forming member 124 has an opening 124 b for conveying the toner so as to drop the toner to the second toner conveying unit 122 at the tip end of the first stirring and conveying member 125 along the conveying direction. Have.

  The second toner conveying unit 122 includes a cylindrical second toner conveying path forming member 126 that conveys the toner, and a screw (not shown) rotatably disposed inside the second toner conveying path forming member 126. A second agitating and conveying member 127 made of an auger or the like. The second toner transport path forming member 126 has an opening (not shown) at the tip end of the second stirring transport member along the transport direction for transporting the toner so as to drop the toner to the third toner transport section 123. ing.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the third toner conveying unit 123 includes a cylindrical third toner conveying path forming member 128 that conveys toner along a substantially vertical direction, and the third toner conveying path forming member 128. A transport member 129 such as an agitator made of a spirally formed metal wire is disposed inside the toner transport path forming member 128 so as to be vertically movable. The third toner conveying path forming member 128 is disposed substantially vertically with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 1a. The upper end of the conveying member 129 is connected to a not-shown crank provided at the tip of the second stirring and conveying member 127. The transporting member 129 is driven to reciprocate vertically along with the rotation of the crank portion of the second stirring and transporting member 127, and substantially removes the toner introduced into the third toner transporting path forming member 128. It is transported so that it falls down along the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a lower end portion 128a of the third toner conveying path forming member 128 is a front end portion along the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the developing device 14 of the process cartridge 80 mounted at the operating position. And is fixed to the image forming apparatus main body 1a at a position corresponding to above. As shown in FIG. 10, the third toner transport path forming member 128 has an intermediate portion fixed to a side frame 1b in the image forming apparatus main body 1a by a screw 128b. The mounting position of the holder member 130 attached to the lower end portion 128a of the third toner transport path forming member 128 is defined by the third toner transport path forming member 128.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, the lower end portion 128a of the third toner conveying path forming member 128 has a toner conveying direction (Z) on both sides along the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. Direction) and a projection 150 that constitutes one of an engaging portion (snap-fit portion) for attaching the holder member 130 so as to be displaceable in a direction (Y direction) intersecting with the toner conveying direction. ing. The protruding portion 150 has an upper end surface 150a protruding from the side surface of the third toner conveying path forming member 128 so as to be orthogonal to the side, and a front end of the upper end surface 150a toward the side surface of the third toner conveying path forming member 128. A side surface is formed in a substantially right triangular shape from the inclined surface 150b formed so as to be inclined. On the outer periphery of the projection 150, a frame portion 151 having a rectangular side surface is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the projection 150.

  A flat square flange 152 is provided integrally with the frame 151 on the outer periphery of the lower end of the third toner conveying path forming member 128. The side surface 151a of the frame part 151 and the flange part 152 forms a plane for guiding an engagement part (snap-fit part) on the holder member 130 side described later. Further, at the lower end of the third toner conveying path forming member 128, a joining portion 153 formed in a cylindrical shape that is short toward the lower side is provided.

  An elastic member 163 is interposed between the third toner conveying path forming member 128 and the holder member 130, as shown in FIG. The elastic member 163 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape from an elastic body such as polyurethane foam or compression-molded polyurethane foam. The elastic member 163 has a required thickness (for example, about 4 to 5 mm). In the elastic member 163, a circular guide hole 164 for guiding the toner from the third toner conveying path forming member 128 to the holder member 130 is formed so as to penetrate vertically.

  As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the holder member 130 is integrally formed of a synthetic resin into a planar rectangular shape. On the upper surface 131 of the holder member 130, a connecting portion 132 connected to the third toner conveying path forming member 128 in a state where the elastic member 163 is accommodated is provided at an end on the near side along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80. Have. The connecting portion 132 has a housing portion 133 formed of a recess having an open upper end surface in a plane square shape for housing the elastic member 163. The accommodating portion 133 is provided on the upper surface 131 of the holder member 130, and intersects with the front and rear side walls 133 a and 133 b provided on both sides along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80, and the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. It comprises left and right side walls 133c and 133d provided on both sides along the (Y direction), and a bottom wall 133e provided at the bottom of the housing 133.

  In addition, the holder member 130 has a second engagement portion (snap-fit) integrally formed on the upper end portions of the front and rear side walls 133 a and 133 b of the storage portion 133 toward the third toner transport path forming member 128 side. ) 134 is provided. The second engaging portion 134 is formed in a flat plate shape having a rectangular recess (opening portion) 135 on a side surface which is relatively engaged with the projection 150 as a first engaging portion. The opening 135 of the second engaging portion 134 is set to be larger than the side surface shape of the projection 150 so that a gap is formed between the opening 135 and the projection 150. Therefore, when the second engagement portion 134 is relatively engaged with the projection 150 of the third toner conveyance path forming member 128, the holder member 130 is moved in the toner conveyance direction (Z direction) and the toner Is displaceably mounted to allow movement in a direction (Y direction) intersecting with the transport direction of. Further, when a force is applied to the holder member 130 in a direction (Y direction) intersecting with the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80, the second engaging portion 134 is elastically deformed and the force is applied. And returns to its original position when the force is released. The second engaging portion 134 located on the near side in the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80 has an upper end formed to be thinner than a lower end, and a third toner. It is easily elastically deformed, for example, when it is engaged with the projection 150 of the transport path forming member 128.

  On the other hand, a circular supply port 133f corresponding to the guide hole 164 of the elastic member 163 is opened in the bottom wall 133e of the storage portion 133 of the holder member 130, as shown in FIGS. A shutter member 136 that opens and closes the supply port 133f is slidably mounted on the lower surface 133g of the holder member 130. On the lower surface 133g of the holder member 130, narrow flat plate-like holding portions 137 formed inward in parallel with the lower surface 133g are provided at both ends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction. The shutter member 136 is slidably held in concave portions 138 on both sides formed by the lower surface 133g of the holder member 130 and the holding portion 137. Further, on the lower surface 133g of the holder member 130, as shown in FIG. 18B, a compressed coil spring 139 for urging the shutter member 136 in a direction in which the supply port 133f is closed is arranged. The coil spring 139 includes a cylindrical protrusion 130 b provided on a side wall 130 a hanging down from the end of the holder member 130 opposite to the housing portion 133, and a receiving portion 136 a hanging down on the lower surface of the shutter member 136. It is arranged so as to be interposed between them. In addition, the shutter member 136 is configured such that the locking portion 136b provided to protrude on both side surfaces thereof comes into contact with a stopper portion 137a provided on the lower surface of the holding portion 137 of the holder member 130, so that the supply port 133f is opened. Stopped in a closed state.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 16, 20, and 21, the developing device 14 provided on the process cartridge 80 has a developing device on the upper end surface of the front end along the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. The fourteen housings 140 are provided with a toner supply port 148 for supplying toner. A shutter member 149 for opening and closing the supply port 148 is attached to the toner supply port 148 of the developing device 14. The shutter members 149 are slidably attached to both end edges of the replenishing portion in which the replenishing port 148 is formed. Further, the shutter member 149 is urged by the coil spring 149a so as to close the supply port 148. The shutter member 149 is normally stopped by a stopper member (not shown) so as to stop with the supply port 148 closed. As shown in FIG. 21, the shutter member 149 has the same side surface shape as the holder member 130. Further, the replenishing portion 165 in which the replenishing port 148 of the developing device 14 is formed has a side surface shape substantially the same as the shutter member 136 of the holder member 130.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22, the holder member 130 on the image forming apparatus main body 1a side is inserted into the replenishing section 165 of the developing device 14 when the process cartridge 80 is mounted. At this time, the holder member 130 opens the supply port 148 of the developing device 14 by pushing the shutter member 149 by the front side wall 133 a of the housing portion 133 abutting against the front end surface of the shutter member 149. At the same time, the replenishing unit 165 located at the front end of the developing device 14 along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80 contacts the front end surface of the shutter member 136 of the holder member 130 and pushes the shutter member 136 to move the holder. It is inserted into the concave portion 138 of the member 130 to open the supply port 133f of the holder member 130. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 20, the toner can be replenished into the developing device 14 from the third toner conveying path forming member 128 of the toner replenishing device 110 via the holder member 130. Become.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the process cartridge 80 is mounted at the operating position of the image forming apparatus main body 1a, the first driving force transmitting portion 77 of the process cartridge 80 is moved to the side of the image forming apparatus main body 1a. By being inserted into the positioning member 97, it moves to the upper operation position. As the process cartridge 80 moves upward, the end of the developing device 14 moves upward, the elastic member 160 accommodated in the holder member 130 is compressed, and the third toner on the image forming apparatus main body 1a side is compressed. The generation of a gap between the transport unit 123 and the holder member 130 is suppressed.

  By the way, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the left and right arms 133h are protruded laterally from the left and right side walls 133c and 133d constituting the housing portion 133 of the holder member 130. , 133i are provided. As shown in FIG. 19C, the left and right arms 133h and 133i have the same side along the direction (Y direction) where the side surface on the leading end side along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80 intersects the toner conveying direction. Are formed. The arm 133i of the process cartridge 80 which is located on the photosensitive drum 11 side has a side surface on the front end side along the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80 and a side frame 1b of the image forming apparatus main body 1a. A boss 133j protruding by a required height so as to be in contact therewith is provided.

  More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 23 to 25, the side frame 1b of the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus is provided with a substantially rectangular front opening 170 which is disposed with the holder member 130 inserted therein. . The side frame 1b has a protrusion having a required width at a position corresponding to each of the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) holder members 130 (Y, M, C, K). 171 and 172 are provided so as to protrude toward the inside of the image forming apparatus main body 1a by a required height. Before the process cartridge 80 is mounted on the holder member 130, the boss 133 j of one of the left and right arms 133 h and 133 i is abutted against the projection 172. The other arm portion 133h of the holder member 130 has its side surface disposed with a predetermined gap (for example, a gap corresponding to the height of the boss portion 133j) with respect to the protruding portion 171. In addition, the holder member 130 is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the side frame 1b of the image forming apparatus main body 1a before the process cartridge 80 is mounted. In FIG. 24, reference symbol P indicates an action point where the pushing force of the process cartridge 80 acts on the holder member 130. Further, a force (F1 + F2) obtained by adding the elastic force F2 of the coil spring 139 of the holder member 130 to the pressing force F1 of the process cartridge 80 pressing the holder member 130 acts on the holder member 130 as a reaction force from the side frame 1b.

<Operation of Characteristic Portion of Image Forming Apparatus>
In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a process cartridge 80 (Y, M, C, K) is newly mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 1a, When the process cartridge 80 (Y, M, C, K) is replaced, the operation of mounting the process cartridge 80 to the image forming apparatus main body 1a is performed as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the process cartridge 80 has a cartridge supporting portion 91 of a unit mounting portion 90 of the image forming apparatus main body 1a with a side cover (not shown) provided on a side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 1a opened. Attached to. At this time, the process cartridge 80 is inserted into the first guide portion 94 of the cartridge supporting portion 91 in the concave portion 83 provided below the charging device 12 of the process cartridge 80, and the developing device of the process cartridge 80 is When the second guide portion 95 of the cartridge support portion 91 is inserted into the concave portion 84 provided on the inner side surface of the cartridge 14, it is guided in the mounting direction (X direction), and is mounted on the cartridge support portion 91.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the image forming apparatus main body 1a is provided with a holder at a position on the back side along the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80 and corresponding to the front end of the developing device 14. A member 130 is arranged. As shown in FIG. 25, the holder member 130 is disposed so as to be orthogonal to the side frame 1b of the image forming apparatus main body 1a, and is positioned parallel to the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. Therefore, in the process cartridge 80, the leading end 151 of the developing device 14 located at the rear end in the mounting direction (X direction) comes into contact with the holder member 130 along with the mounting operation.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 20, the holder member 130 is pushed so that its shutter member 136 is pressed against the side frame 1b of the image forming apparatus main body 1a by the replenishing portion 165 of the developing device 14. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25, the holder member 130 is slightly moved so that the boss 133j provided on one arm 133i is a fulcrum and the other arm 133h is in contact with the protrusion of the side frame 1b. Although it is an angle, it inclines (rotates). As a result, as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, the process cartridge 80 is configured such that the edge of the other arm 133 h side (left side in the figure) of the tip of the developing device 14 is formed by the recess 138 of the holder member 130. It is inserted into the holder member 130 while being in contact with the inner surface, and is guided so that the tip of the developing device 14 is displaced toward the photosensitive drum 11. At the same time, the shutter member 136 of the holder member 130 is pushed by the tip of the developing device 14 to open the supply port 133f.

  In addition, the process cartridge 80 pushes the shutter member 149 provided in the replenishing section 165 of the developing device 14 with the operation of inserting the leading end of the developing device 14 into the concave portion 138 of the holder member 130. Then, the toner supply port 148 of the developing device 14 is opened, and the toner can be supplied to the inside of the developing device 14 via the third toner conveyance path forming member 128 and the holder member 130 of the toner replenishing device 110. You.

  In this way, when the process cartridge 80 is mounted, the replenishing section 165 of the developing device 14 of the process cartridge 80 is pushed by the process cartridge 80 and moved to the photosensitive drum 11 as schematically shown in FIG. Since the developing device 14 rotates in the approaching direction, the developing device 14 is prevented from being mounted in a direction away from the photosensitive drum 11, and the arm portions 131h and 131i of the holder member 130 are attached to the side frame 1b of the image forming apparatus main body 1a. With a simple configuration in which the contact is made via the gap, the fluctuation of the tracking force (gap holding force) for holding the gap (DRS) between the developing device 14 and the photosensitive drum 11 is suppressed.

  On the other hand, as schematically shown in FIG. 29, when the holder member 130 is arranged in a state fixed in parallel with the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80, the direction intersecting with the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80 is Due to an error in the mounting position along the (Y direction), the developing device 14 of the process cartridge 80 is mounted in a direction away from the photosensitive drum 11, and the gap between the developing device 14 and the photosensitive drum 11 ( A force in a direction in which the tracking force (gap holding force) for holding the DRS is reduced acts, and the gap (DRS) between the developing roll 141 of the developing device 14 and the photosensitive drum 11 may fluctuate.

  In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the boss 133j is provided on one arm 133i of the pair of arms 133h and 133i of the holder member 130, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, a boss is provided on each of the pair of arms 133h and 133i, and the heights of the protruding portions of the side frames 1b with which the bosses of the pair of arms 133h and 133i are in contact or the side frames 1b are different. By providing a hole or a concave portion into which one boss is inserted, the holder member 130 may be configured to rotate when the process cartridge 80 is mounted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus 1a ... Image forming apparatus main body 1b ... Side frame 110 ... Toner replenishing apparatus 128 ... Third toner conveyance path forming member 130 ... Holder members 133h and 133i ... Arm part 133j ... Boss part

Claims (3)

An image holding member that is provided detachably with respect to the image forming apparatus main body and holds at least an electrostatic latent image; and an electrostatic latent image of the image holding member that is movable in a direction that comes into contact with and separates from the image holding member. A detachable structure including a developing unit that develops with a developer,
A connecting member that is provided at an end of the developer conveying unit that conveys the developer to the developing unit in the image forming apparatus main body and that is connected to the developing unit so that the developer can be supplied to the developing unit; ,
With
The connecting member, when the detachable structure is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, is inclined by a boss provided on the connecting member as a fulcrum by being pushed by the developing means, and moves the developing means to the An image forming apparatus for guiding in a direction to approach an image holding member.   A distal end of the detachable structure along the mounting direction of the developing unit abuts a central portion of the connecting member along a direction intersecting the mounting direction, and the connecting member connects the developing unit to the image holding member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus rotates so as to be guided in a direction to approach the image forming apparatus. A developer transport unit that transports a developer to the developing unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is disposed at an end of the developer conveying unit on the developing unit side.

Images